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The IT&T sector is that part of the economy which produces information technology and telecommunications goods and services. It includes businesses involved in telecommunication services, computer services, and selected manufacturing and wholesale trade industries. The IT&T sector overlaps with part of the Communication Services Division discussed earlier.
Table 24.7 provides statistics for a selection of industries considered to be the prominent contributors to the production and distribution of IT&T goods and services. The table is based on ABS surveys conducted in respect of 1998-99 and 2000-01.
At June 2001, there were 22,475 IT&T specialist businesses in the industries surveyed. Generally, IT&T specialists are those businesses for which the income from the sale, distribution and provision of IT&T goods and services forms the greater part of the total income of the business. The number of IT&T specialist businesses in 2000-01 increased by 25% (or 4,487) since the previous survey in respect of 1998-99. This increase was mainly due to growth in the numbers of computer wholesale businesses by 50% (or 775 businesses) and of computer consultancy services businesses by 24% (or 3,350 businesses).
There were 238,521 persons working in IT&T specialist businesses at the end of June 2001, a 20% increase since June 1999. The highest increases in employment occurred in the computer services industry grouping (32%) and the wholesale trade industry grouping (30%). The manufacturing industry grouping recorded a 17% increase in employment, while the telecommunication services industry increased by 4%.
During 2000-01, IT&T specialist businesses generated a total operating profit before tax of $4,925m, representing a decline of 35% between 1998-99 and 2000-01. The telecommunication services industry generated an operating profit before tax of $4,954m, while the IT&T wholesale trade industry grouping recorded an operating loss before tax of $388m.
Income in the Australian IT&T sector continued to grow, and was approaching $78b in 2000-01, an increase of 24% between 1998-99 and 2000-01. The IT&T industry groupings contributing to this outcome were computer services, with an increase of 38%, and manufacturing and wholesale trade, which both recorded increases of 23% between 1998-99 and 2000-01. Income of the telecommunication services industry increased by 19% between 1998-99 and 2000-01.
24.7 INDUSTRIES IN THE IT&T SECTOR, Employment, income and profit
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 | | Employment | Total income | Operating profit before tax |
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| | 1998-99 | 2000-01 | 1998-99 | 2000-01 | 1998-99 | 2000-01 |
| | no. | no. | $m | $m | $m | $m |
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| Manufacturing | | | | | | |
| Computer and business machines | 3,587 | 3,398 | 1,399 | 1,343 | 39 | 39 |
| Telecommunication, broadcasting and transceiving equipment | 6,235 | 8,373 | 1,681 | 2,341 | 81 | 70 |
| Electronic equipment n.e.c. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Electric cable and wire | 998 | 928 | 307 | 470 | 29 | 46 |
| Total | 10,820 | 12,699 | 3,387 | 4,153 | 148 | 155 |
| Wholesale trade | | | | | | |
| Computers | 26,816 | 38,656 | 15,569 | 20,618 | 672 | 185 |
| Business machines and electrical and electronic equipment n.e.c. | 12,411 | 12,327 | 6,717 | 6,704 | 289 | -573 |
| Total | 39,227 | 50,983 | 22,285 | 27,323 | 961 | -388 |
| Telecommunication services | 74,471 | 77,275 | 26,417 | 31,505 | 5,566 | 4,954 |
| Computer services | | | | | | |
| Data processing | 1,829 | 3,718 | 143 | 477 | 12 | 52 |
| Information storage and retrieval | 920 | 1,174 | 101 | 150 | 10 | 12 |
| Computer maintenance | 2,544 | 4,451 | 294 | 983 | -16 | 31 |
| Computer consultancy | 68,779 | 88,222 | 9,972 | 12,927 | 840 | 110 |
| Total | 74,072 | 97,565 | 10,509 | 14,538 | 845 | 204 |
| Total | 198,589 | 238,521 | 62,599 | 77,518 | 7,520 | 4,925 |
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| Source: Information Technology, Australia, 2000-01 (8126.0). |
Total income from the domestic production of selected IT&T goods and services was $50b in 2000-01, an increase of 24% between 1998-99 and 2000-01 (table 24.8). Over the two years to 2000-01, increases in income occurred in the provision of packaged software and computer services (by 33%), computer and communications hardware, equipment and cables (by 31%) and telecommunication services (by 19%).
Imports of selected IT&T goods and services totalled $17.3b during 2000-01, and mainly comprised computer and communications hardware, equipment, cables and other computer parts, and consumables ($13.5b), imports of which increased by 33% between 1998-99 and 2000-01.
24.8 IT&T GOODS AND SERVICES, Domestic production and imports
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| Income from domestic production | Imports |
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| 1998-99 | 2000-01 | Change | 1998-99 | 2000-01 | Change |
| Industry | $m | $m | % | $m | $m | % |
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| Computer and communications hardware, equipment & cables | 3,620 | 4,728 | 31 | 10,757 | 14,328 | 33 |
| Packaged software and computer services | 11,698 | 15,560 | 33 | 1,310 | 1,192 | -9 |
| Telecommunication services | 25,175 | 29,910 | 19 | 1,467 | 1,766 | 20 |
| Total | 40,492 | 50,199 | 24 | 13,534 | 17,286 | 28 |
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| Source: Information Technology, Australia, 2000-01 (8126.0). |
Research and experimental development (R&D) undertaken by the IT&T sector
Chapter 25 presents a range of R&D statistics based on various ABS surveys. The data presented here have been drawn from the ABS business sector R&D surveys for the particular ANZSIC industries covered by the IT&T sector.
During 2000-01, expenditure on R&D by the IT&T sector was $1,444m, 30% of total business sector R&D expenditure ($4,825m). In current price terms this expenditure was 23% higher than the level recorded in 1999-2000 (table 24.9).
Major IT&T research fields where R&D expenditure occurred were Computer software ($480m) and Communication technologies ($471m), each 33% of the total.
The bulk of the R&D expenditure in the IT&T sector was in the Computer services industry grouping ($602m or 42%), followed by the Manufacturing industry grouping ($325m or 23%).
24.9 R&D EXPENDITURE, By IT&T industry groupings and research field
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| Manufacturing | Wholesale
trade | Telecommunication
services | Computer
services | Total |
| $m | $m | $m | $m | $m |
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1999-2000 |
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| Information systems and technologies | 10.4 | n.p. | n.p. | 93.1 | 137.7 |
| Computer hardware | 8.3 | 4.0 | - | 5.9 | 18.2 |
| Computer software | 94.5 | 29.1 | 3.6 | 298.7 | 426.0 |
| Communication technologies | 99.9 | 102.2 | 107.9 | 14.7 | 324.6 |
| Other information, computer & communication technologies | 8.7 | n.p. | n.p. | 10.0 | 75.7 |
| Total | 221.8 | n.p. | n.p. | 422.3 | 982.2 |
| Other fields | 60.8 | n.p. | n.p. | 119.8 | 195.5 |
| Total | 282.6 | 234.8 | 118.2 | 542.1 | 1,177.7 |
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2000-01 |
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| Information systems and technologies | 12.2 | n.p. | n.p. | 95.0 | 119.4 |
| Computer hardware | 7.4 | n.p. | n.p. | 6.9 | 18.6 |
| Computer software | 71.7 | 39.6 | 3.8 | 365.3 | 480.4 |
| Communication technologies | 168.0 | n.p. | n.p. | 26.6 | 470.8 |
| Other information, computer & communication technologies | 7.0 | 76.7 | 80.0 | 16.3 | 180.0 |
| Total | 266.3 | n.p. | n.p. | 510.0 | 1,269.1 |
| Other fields | 58.6 | n.p. | n.p. | 91.6 | 175.0 |
| Total | 324.9 | 251.6 | 266.0 | 601.6 | 1,444.1 |
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| Source: ABS data available on request, Survey of Research and Experimental Development - Business Sector. |
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