The Digital Economy 2006

Investments by companies in the ICT sector are rising again, just as production and value added. The recovery is largely supported by the ICT services sector. The improvement is also reflected on the labour market: at the end of 2005, the vacancy rate in the ICT sector was twice as high as that in the economy as a whole. Computer service bureaux in particular are seeking to recruit staff.

The number of people using landline telephones is falling. More and more people use only their mobile phone, or telephone via the internet or cable. Dutch small and medium-sized enterprises are doing well in an international perspective with respect to ICT use. Government policy on this point is starting to pay off. Small companies still make less use of ICT than larger companies, however. Dutch local authorities are offering more and more services online, but the public still make relatively little use of the computer in their dealings with the government. One quarter of visitors to government websites rate the online services as not sufficient

Globalisation is gaining importance in the ICT sector, too. The increasing dominance of China is particularly spectacular: at the moment, this country is the world’s largest exporter of ICT goods.

The Digital Economy 2006

Key figure: P-38

ISBN: 978-90-357-1529-5

ISSN: 1871-9759

Price: € 30.10 (excl. postage and handling)

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