The Commerce Department's Census Bureau is mailing millions of 2002 Economic Census forms in December, launching a groundbreaking effort to capture new information on the way America does business. In the process, the Census Bureau will make it easier than ever for businesses to respond.

"Next to the decennial census of population and housing, the economic census is the biggest project carried out by the Census Bureau," said Director C. Louis Kincannon. "Twice each decade, we compile a complete profile of the American economy, from the national to the local level."

Highlights of what's new for 2002:

New Questions

• Electronic Commerce. The Census Bureau is providing new measures of the way America does business, gathering the first information on the e-commerce sales of practically every industry in the United States. E-commerce includes sales, receipts, and/or revenue from any transaction completed over an Internet, Extranet, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network, electronic mail, or other online system. Until these data arrive, we have e-commerce measures for only a few sectors.

• Leased Employment. For the first time, the 2002 Economic Census will collect information on the use of leased employees at all business establishments, filling a gap where only permanent employees were counted. Leased employees are those whose payroll is filed with the IRS by an employee leasing company, not by the company where work is performed.

• Supply Chain. For the first time, the 2002 Economic Census will yield data on supply-chain relationships among the manufacturers of goods, those who store and distribute goods, those who transport goods and those who sell and bill for goods. Questions will identify whether certain functions are outsourced to other companies.

New Industries and Product Classifications

• NAICS 2002. The 2002 Economic Census completes work started in 1997 when the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was first implemented as a replacement for the old Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. NAICS 2002 includes substantial revisions for the construction and wholesale trade sectors, as well as selected changes in the information and retail trade sectors. New industries include residential remodelers, discount department stores, electronic auctions, and internet publishing and broadcasting.

• NAPCS 2002. The Census Bureau has a long history of providing data on thousands of manufactured products, and also has published data on hundreds of merchandise lines in wholesale and retail lines, and types of services provided by other service companies. For the first time, product lines in four service sectors will be classified consistent with a new international agreement with Canada and Mexico, as the first phase in implementing the new North American Product Classification System (NAPCS).

New Technology

The Census Bureau is introducing new systems to make it much easier for businesses to respond with their information.

• Better forms design. While most people remember receiving either a "short form" or a "long form" in Census 2000, the 2002 Economic Census will use over 600 different versions of the census questionnaire, each tailored to the characteristics of a specific industry. The Census Bureau worked with hundreds of trade associations to develop forms that are relevant to business information needs and respectful of business record keeping. Forms have been redesigned so that they are easier to complete and handle.

• Electronic Reporting. For the first time, most businesses will be able to respond by computer. Businesses will still get forms in the mail in December, but, using identifiers on the form, they will be able to download either a questionnaire program or a spreadsheet template, complete it on their own computer – importing data from company records directly into the questionnaire – and file the form on a secure Internet site.

• Electronic Help Site. A brand-new 2002 Economic Census Business Help Site will provide answers to questions businesses ask most often, and other services, such verification that their report has been received. Complementing the electronic Help Site is a toll-free "help line" (1-800-233-6136), to be answered by Census Bureau employees from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., EST, Monday through Friday, starting December 1.

• Data Processing Technology. New optical imaging and data capture technologies will make data entry more efficient and accurate, give census analysts more opportunity to review what is collected, and speed the tabulation of billions of facts about American business.

The census forms mailed to businesses in December will be due back February 12, 2003.