BUSINESS USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
ADOPTION OF IT BY BUSINESSES
For the year ended 30 June 2005, 89% of Australian businesses used a computer, 77% used the Internet and 27% had a web presence.
A strong relationship exists between the employment size of a business and the likelihood that the business is using IT (table 23.7). As employment size increases, so does the proportion of businesses making use of IT. For example, for the year ended June 2005 all businesses with 100 or more people employed used computers, 99% used the Internet and 91% had a web presence. A much lower level of IT adoption existed for businesses with 0-4 people employed: 85% used computers; 77% used the Internet; and only 17% had a web presence.
23.7 BUSINESS USE OF SELECTED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES(a) - 2004-05
|
| | Businesses with(a) |
| | Computer use | Internet use | Web presence |
| | % | % | % |
|
Total businesses | 89 | 77 | 27 |
Employment size | | | |
| 0-4 persons | 85 | 71 | 17 |
| 5-19 persons | 95 | 86 | 41 |
| 20-99 persons | 97 | 92 | 59 |
| 100 or more persons | 100 | 99 | 91 |
Industry | | | |
| Mining | 92 | 88 | 38 |
| Manufacturing | 88 | 75 | 38 |
| Electricity, gas and water supply | 97 | 90 | 43 |
| Construction | 84 | 66 | 11 |
| Wholesale trade | 95 | 87 | 44 |
| Retail trade | 84 | 73 | ^24 |
| Accommodation, cafes and restaurants | 77 | 62 | 31 |
| Transport and storage | 82 | 67 | 16 |
| Communication services | 84 | 62 | 19 |
| Finance and insurance | 95 | 85 | 28 |
| Property and business services | 95 | 89 | 33 |
| Health and community services | 94 | 80 | 19 |
| Cultural and recreational services | 97 | 90 | 50 |
| Personal and other services | 82 | 60 | 25 |
|
(a) Proportions are of all businesses in each category. |
| | | | |
Source: Business Use of Information Technology, 2004-05 (8129.0). |
BUSINESS USE OF THE INTERNET
Data was collected on the main type of connection used to access the Internet as at the end of June 2005. A higher proportion of businesses using the Internet were mainly using broadband connections (63%) than non-broadband connections (37%) (graph 23.8). Broadband is defined by the ABS as an 'always on' Internet connection with an access speed equal to or greater than 256 kilobits per second. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) was the most common main type of Internet connection for businesses connected by broadband (68%).
Broadband connections were the most prevalent main Internet connection type for all four business sizes.