Robust Outlook for IT Sector Despite Recent Downturn, Says OECD Report
Fecha Miércoles, agosto 07 @ 10:45:26
Tema Internacional :: International
| Prospects for the information technology industry remain strong despite the severe downturn suffered by the equipment sector over the past 18 months, according to the OECD's latest Information Technology Outlook New products and services such as broadband will continue to drive demand from firms, households and governments, says the report. Falling costs and technological development will underpin this demand.
The sector will remain a leading player in industrial globalisation even though sharp falls in foreign directinvestment and in merger and acquisition activity are expectedthis year. The report adds that despite the the slowdown,markets for information and communications goods and serviceswere equivalent to 8.3% of the total GDP of OECD countries in2001, compared with less than 6.0% in 1992.
Trade in goods in the information and communicationstechnology sector has grown steadily at twice the rate of tradein all goods in OECD countries since 1990, although this alsoslowed down in 2001. Exports of such goods represented morethan 5% of GDP in Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Korea, Hungaryand Ireland in 2000. The Outlook also shows that in theinformation technology sector, trade in services has beengrowing at an even faster rate than trade inequipment.
Foreign investment in the sector remains firm but isshifting from manufacturing to services. This trend is likelyto continue as a result of further deregulation, particularlyin telecommunications services.
Software is one of the most rapidly expanding sectorsin industrialised countries, the report says. Packaged softwaremarkets were estimated to be worth US $196 billion in 2001.This market has been growing on average at almost 16% a yearsince 1992 in OECD countries, and even faster in some non-OECDcountries such as China and Brazil.
However, electronic and internet commerce, althoughincreasing, still plays only a small role. In those countrieswhere it is measured, sales via the internet ranged between0.4% and 1.8% of total sales in 2000, according to officialstatistics. Business-to-consumer internet sales have not takenoff, the report adds. Such activity is usually restricted to afew sectors such as computer products, clothing or digitisedmusic, books or software.
The report adds that just as the informationtechnology sector was affected by, and contributed to, thecurrent economic downturn, there is strong reason to believethat it will have a significant role to play in the nextrecovery.
The Outlook also provides an overview of informationtechnology policies in OECD countries, with particular regardto training and to narrowing the "digital divide" between thosewith access to information technology and thosewithout.
Journalists may obtain a copy of the report from the OECD's Media Relations Office.
For further information, journalists are invited to contact Graham Vickery at the OECD's Science, Technology and Industry Directorate (tel.[33] 1 4524 9387).
More information on Information Technology Outlook.
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