Advances in Business Statistics, Methods and Data Collection

36Integrating Alternative and Administrative Data into the Monthly Business Statistics: Some Applications from Statistics Canada

Marie‐Claude Duval Richard Laroche and Sébastien Landry

Statistics Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

36.1 Context for Integrating Alternative and Administrative Data

In recent years, similar to other National Statistical Offices (NSO), Statistics Canada is modernizing its statistical programs to respond to a rapidly changing and increasingly complex economy and society, a proliferation of data and providers, and increased user expectations for “real‐time” and detailed information. Statistics Canada's modernization includes an administrative and alternative‐data‐first agenda, an environment where data and insights already present in the data ecosystem are leveraged before surveys or other collection methods are used (Statistics Canada, 2019). Unsurprisingly, many monthly business programs at Statistics Canada such as manufacturing, retail, and food services and drinking places started integrating alternative data and/or expanding the use of administrative data. These new approaches have many advantages. As described in Statistics Canada (2016, Chapter 3.5), the use of administrative or alternative data can potentially allow NSOs to

• improve the quality of statistical products (e.g. reduce sampling or nonsampling errors);
• improve the relevance of statistical products (e.g. produce more detailed or more frequent estimates);
• fill data gaps;
• reduce the costs ...