8166.0 - Summary of IT Use and Innovation in Australian Business, 2012-13 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/06/2014   
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INNOVATION-ACTIVE BUSINESSES

Summary of innovative activity in Australian business, by employment size(a), 2012-13
0-4 persons
5-19 persons
20-199 persons
200 or more persons
Total
Estimated number of businesses(b)
'000
466
243
58
4
770
Businesses that introduced innovation(c)
%
28.9
45.8
58.3
66.8
36.6
Businesses with innovative activity that was:(c)
still in development(d)
%
18.3
27.8
35.6
51.4
22.8
abandoned
%
5.3
6.9
6.3
4.4
5.9
Businesses with any innovative activity (innovation-active businesses)
%
34.7
51.0
63.4
74.3
42.2
(a) Proportions are of all businesses in each output category.
(b) Business counts are provided for contextual information only, and the total may not sum to the total of the components due to rounding. Refer to Explanatory Notes 21 and 22.
(c) Businesses may be counted in more than one category.
(d) As at the end of the reference period 30 June 2013.


The proportion of innovation-active businesses increased with each successive employment size range. The likelihood of businesses with more than 200 persons employed being innovation-active was more than double that of businesses with 0-4 persons employed (74% and 35% respectively).

Graph: proportion of businesses that were innovation-active, by industry, 2012-13. Businesses in the Wholesale trade industry were most likely to have been innovation-active, at 53%.

During the year ended 30 June 2013, businesses in the Wholesale trade industry were most likely to have been innovation-active, at 53%. This was followed closely by Information media and telecommunications and Retail trade (both 51%). In contrast, businesses in the Transport, postal and warehousing (28%) and Construction (31%) industries were the least likely to have undertaken any innovative activity.