8133.0 - Business Use of Information Technology, Preliminary, 1997-98  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/04/1999   
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MAIN FINDINGS
INTRODUCTION
At the end of June 1998, 64% of all employing businesses in Australia used personal computers (PCs). This has increased since the end of June 1994 when 49% of businesses used PCs.

Of the businesses with PCs at the end of June 1998, almost half had access to the Internet (30% of all businesses) and less than a third had either local area networks (LAN) and/or wide area computer networks (WAN) (20% of all businesses). The proportion of businesses using email closely matched the proportion of businesses with web browser capabilities (29% and 26% of all businesses respectively).

There were three PCs for every ten persons employed at the end of June 1998. The ratio of PCs to users was higher, with eight PCs for every ten users.

IT&T employees providing in-house or external IT&T services accounted for less than 3% of total employment. On average, every in-house IT&T employee supported 27 PC users.

IT&T BY INDUSTRY

COMPUTER USE
While 64% of businesses used PCs, the highest usage by business occurred in the Mining industry (80%), Property and business services industry (79%) and the Wholesale trade industry (76%). While the overall PC usage in the Communication services industry was 73%, the Telecommunication services sector reported 100%. Conversely, the lowest usage of PCs by business occurred in the Personal and other services industry (44%) and the Accommodation, cafes and restaurants industry (47%). The proportion of businesses using LAN/WAN was consistently higher among industries with a high incidence of PC use.

INTERNET ACCESS
The two industries with the highest proportion of PC use also had the highest proportion of businesses with Internet access, email and/or web browser access.

Access to the Internet was highest in Mining (47%), Property and business services (46%), and Communication services (45%). In contrast, industries such as Accommodation, cafes and restaurants (16%), Retail trade (17%), Construction (20%) and Transport and storage (20%) were among those with the lowest proportion of Internet access.

The proportion of businesses with email and/or web browser access was highest in the Mining industry (email 46% and web browser 42%), Property and business services industry (email 45% and web browser 41%), and the Communication services industry (email 45% and web browser 38%).

1 EMPLOYING BUSINESSES WITH IT&T USAGE, BY INDUSTRY—30 JUNE


PCs
LAN/WAN
Internet access
Email access
Web browser
access
%
%
%
%
%
Mining
80.4
38.0
46.8
46.3
42.4
Manufacturing
70.8
20.1
31.5
29.9
25.3
Electricity, gas & water supply
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
Construction
55.9
8.2
20.2
18.9
16.2
Wholesale trade
75.8
31.1
40.9
40.1
36.3
Retail trade
53.0
17.7
16.9
16.7
13.6
Accommodation, cafes & restaurants
46.9
8.6
16.4
13.7
14.9
Transport & storage
52.9
15.8
20.0
19.8
16.4
Communication services (a)
72.7
*16.5
44.5
44.5
*37.7
Finance & insurance
72.8
22.7
39.6
38.3
34.6
Property & business services
78.6
31.4
46.4
44.7
40.9
Health & community services
67.8
19.9
31.7
31.0
29.9
Cultural & recreational services
64.3
17.2
35.0
34.8
30.8
Personal & other services
43.8
13.5
21.8
21.0
19.0
Total
63.9
20.4
30.1
29.1
26.0

(a) Includes telecommunication services and postal and courier services.