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 Because
ICT is not yet a widely used term in the U.S., and because the
U.S. does not account for economic or industry activity under
that category, it is difficult to accurately quantify the
value of ICT in the U.S. economy. Even so, direct ICT spending
is clearly a very important part of the U.S. and world
economies.
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In the U.S.: "ICT industries remained strong, rising
9.0 percent. These industries accounted for 4 percent of
GDP, but accounted for 30 percent of real GDP growth in
2008."
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In the EU: “The Information and communication technologies
(ICT) sector accounted for a substantial part of EU GDP
and employment. However, ICT is a ubiquitous technology
and investments in ICT are also estimated to have been
responsible for around half of the EU's productivity
growth in recent years.”
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Globally: “Like most industries, ICT suffered a dip in
global ICT spending for 2009 although the contraction of
3% is much smaller than the 12% decline in overall global
trade, as reported by the World Trade Organization (WTO)…
ICT spending is set to rebound aggressively over the next
few years. The anticipated upswing will begin this year,
with pent-up demand fueling spending growth of 7.4% before
peaking at 8.7% next year and flattening out at about 6%
from 2013 onwards… This revival is also a boon for other
industries beyond our own as ICT increasingly plays the
role as critical enabler of economic and industrial
growth.”
Direct spending on ICT products and services is a large and
important part of U.S. and global economies. Even these
impressive quotes and figures do not come close to measuring
the total impact of ICT on the economy, however. They do not
include very significant spending on ICT within organizations
(on internal ICT staff and services).
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"It is also estimated that 92 percent of all IT workers
are employed by non-information technology companies,
including companies involved in health care services, real
estate, insurance, and financial services, with 80 percent
employed by small companies outside the IT industry."
Additionally, in the global information and knowledge
economies of the 21st centuries, most businesses, industries
and individuals depend on ICT for communications and
productivity. ICT contributes very significantly to the
productivity of individuals and organizations of all kinds.
What is the difference in total economic output with ICT
versus without ICT?
ICT enables productivity for all
kinds of efforts. It is enabling technology and
infrastructure. How do you measure the impact of
transportation on trade? ICT is fundamentally strategic.
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"Information and communication technologies (ICT) has
proven to be a key enabler of socioeconomic progress and
development, enhancing productivity and therefore economic
growth, reducing poverty and improving living standards in
many ways. ICT is increasingly revolutionizing production
processes, access to markets, and information sources
together with social interactions. ICT also has an impact
on government efficiency, fostering transparency and
better communication and services with and to citizens."
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"The Information Society will affect most aspects of our
lives, so European policies range from the regulation of
entire industrial sectors to the protection of each
individual's privacy. "
In the information and knowledge
economies of the 21st century, we all
increasingly depend on information and
communications technologies - and the
increased connectivity and productivity
they enable. Strategically, we need
modern ICT infrastructure and a large,
highly skilled ICT workforce in modern
economies.
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