BUSINESS HUMAN RESOURCES DEVOTED TO R&D


INDUSTRY

In 2010-11, the industry divisions of Manufacturing and Professional, scientific and technical services were the largest contributors to total human resources devoted to R&D, at 18,652 (33%) and 14,885 (26%) person years of effort (PYE) respectively.

Financial and insurance services (down 3,675 PYE or 39%) was the largest contributor to the overall decrease in human resources devoted to R&D in 2010-11. The industry also showed the largest decrease in proportional share of total PYE (down seven percentage points to 10%).

Compared to 2009-10, Manufacturing (up 1,145 PYE or 7%) had the largest absolute increase in human resources devoted to R&D, and showed the largest increase in proportional share of total PYE (up three percentage points).

As described in the Type of Expenditure section of Business Expenditure on R&D (BERD), a portion of the overall decrease in human resources devoted to R&D in 2010-11 can be attributed to businesses increasing their use of contractors for R&D work. The provision of contract services to a business does not involve the supply of staff, but rather the delivery of a product, and therefore does not contribute to the businesses own person years of effort estimate.


EMPLOYMENT SIZE

Businesses with 200 or more employees accounted for more than half of total human resources devoted to R&D in 2010-11, at 31,547 PYE or 56% of total PYE. Compared to 2009-10, businesses with 200 or more employees were the only employment size group to record a decrease in human resources devoted to R&D (down 2,628 PYE or 8%) and a decrease in proportional share of total PYE (down three percentage points).

Conversely, businesses with 5-19 employees recorded the largest increase in human resources devoted to R&D in 2010-11 (up 553 PYE or 8%), and showed the largest increase in proportional share of total PYE (up two percentage points to 27%).

The comparability over time of estimates by employment size group may be affected by moves in classification between reference periods. See the Comparability of Estimates Over Time section of the Technical Note for more information.


TYPE OF RESOURCE

Researchers were again the most dominant type of human resource devoted to R&D in 2010-11, accounting for 28,313 PYE or 50% of total PYE. Compared to 2009-10, Researchers had the largest decrease in PYE (down 1,276 PYE or 4%), and their proportional share of total PYE decreased by one percentage point.

Technicians were the only type of resource to record an increase in PYE in 2010-11 (up 146 PYE or 1%), and the only type of resource to show an increase in proportional share of total PYE (up two percentage points to 34%).


FOREIGN OWNERSHIP

In 2010-11, wholly Australian owned businesses made the largest contribution to total human resources devoted to R&D, at 32,740 PYE or 58% of total PYE; a decrease of 990 PYE (3%) from 2009-10. The proportional share of total PYE for wholly Australian owned businesses remained unchanged in 2010-11.

Businesses with greater than 50% foreign ownership were the only group to record an increase in PYE from 2009-10 (up 602 PYE or 4%) and an increase in share of total PYE (up two percentage points from 29%).

Business Human Resources Devoted to R&D, by level of foreign ownership(a)
	Human resources devoted to R&D			Proportion of total human resources devoted to R&D
	2008-09(b)	2009-10(b)	2010-11	2008-09(b)	2009-10(b)	2010-11
	PYE	PYE	PYE	%	%	%
Wholly Australian owned (0%)	28 277	33 730	32 740	52	58	58
Greater than 0% and less than 10%	3 129	3 075	2 658	6	5	5
10% to 50%	4 886	4 226	3 676	9	7	7
Greater than 50%	17 594	16 857	17 459	33	29	31
Total	53 886	57 888	56 532	100	100	100
(a) A definition of foreign ownership was not provided in the survey and data were accepted as reported.
(b) Some 2008-09 and 2009-10 data have been revised. See the Revisions section of the Technical Note for details.