Archive:Information services statistics - NACE Rev. 2

Data from April 2012. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.

This article presents an overview of statistics for the information service activities sector in the European Union (EU), as covered by NACE Rev. 2 Division 63. This sector includes, for example, data processing, web hosting, web portals, news agencies and information search.

Table 1: Key indicators, information service activities (NACE Division 63), EU-27, 2009 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)

Figure 1: Sectoral breakdown of information service activities (NACE Division 63), EU-27, 2009 (1)
(% share of sectoral total) - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)

Table 2a: Sectoral breakdown of key indicators, information service activities (NACE Division 63), EU-27, 2009 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)

Table 2b: Sectoral breakdown of key indicators, information service activities (NACE Division 63), EU-27, 2009 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)

Table 3: Largest and most specialised Member States in information service activities (NACE Division 63), 2009 (1) - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)

Table 4a: Key indicators, information service activities (NACE Division 63), 2009 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)

Table 4b: Key indicators, information service activities (NACE Division 63), 2009 - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)

Main statistical findings

Structural profile

There were 101 thousand enterprises operating within the information services (Division 63) sector in the EU-27 in 2009. Together they employed 490 thousand persons, equivalent to 0.4 % of the total workforce in the non-financial business economy (Sections B to J and L to N and Division 95) or 8.5 % of those persons employed in information and communication services (Section J). They generated EUR 27 337 million of value added which was a 0.5 % share of the non-financial business economy total and 5.7 % of the information and communication services total.

The apparent labour productivity of the EU-27's information services sector in 2009 was EUR 56.0 thousand per person employed, which was the second lowest level among the six NACE divisions that constitute information and communication services. While the level of apparent labour productivity was below the EUR 83 thousand per person employed average for the whole of information and communication services, it was still some EUR 14.4 thousand per person employed higher than the non-financial business economy average.

The EU-27's information services sector recorded average personnel costs in 2009 of EUR 39.6 thousand per employee; this was the lowest level among the six subsectors that compose information and communication services, but remained above the non-financial business economy average of EUR 30.0 thousand per employee.

The wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio combines the two previous indicators and shows the extent to which value added per person employed covers average personnel costs per employee. This ratio stood at 140.9 % for the EU-27's information services sector in 2009, which was slightly above the non-financial business economy average of 138.8 %, but well below the information and communication services average of 171.2 %.

The gross operating rate (the relation between the gross operating surplus and turnover) stood at 20.1 % for the EU-27’s information services sector in 2009, slightly more than double the non-financial business economy average (9.7 %) and in line with the information and communication services average (20.9 %).

Sectoral analysis

Just over three quarters of the enterprises classified within the EU-27’s information services sector in 2009 had their principal activity within data processing, hosting and related activities and web portals (Group 63.1). The relative importance of this subsector was almost identical in terms of its contribution to sectoral value added (75.7 % or EUR 20 702 million) and rose still higher in terms of employment, as it accounted for 79.5 % of the information services sectoral workforce, equivalent to 389.4 thousand persons.

Given the relatively large weight of the data processing, hosting and related activities and web portals subsector there was not a great deal of difference between the figures recorded for this subsector in relation to average productivity, personnel costs and profitability measures and the figures recorded for the whole of the information services sector. The residual grouping of other information service activities (Group 63.2) had higher levels of apparent labour productivity (EUR 66.0 thousand per person employed), average personnel costs (EUR 41.7 thousand per employee) and wage-adjusted labour productivity (158.9 %), as well as a higher gross operating rate (30.0 %).

Country analysis

Just over one quarter (25.7 %) of the EU-27’s value added within the information services sector in 2009 was accounted for by the United Kingdom. While the United Kingdom generated a higher level of value added for information services in 2009 (EUR 7 037 million) than Italy (EUR 5 009 million), the latter had a higher degree of specialisation in information services, as these contributed 0.85 % of total value added in the Italian non-financial business economy, compared with 0.81 % for the United Kingdom. The relative specialisation of Italy was based upon a high share (22.9 %) of EU-27 value added for data processing, hosting and related activities and web portals, while the specialisation of the United Kingdom was promoted by its prominent position for other information service activities.

The United Kingdom also recorded the highest level of apparent labour productivity for information services in 2009, reaching EUR 110.5 thousand per person employed. This figure was 2.3 times as high as the national average for the non-financial business economy, the biggest differential among any of the Member States. In contrast, Italy was the only Member State where the apparent labour productivity of the information services sector was below the national average for the non-financial business economy.

The highest wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio for information services in 2009 was registered by the United Kingdom (254.2 %) which was about 50 % higher than the national non-financial business economy average which in turn was again the biggest differential among the Member States. There were only six Member States (among those for which data are available) that reported a higher wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio for information services than for the whole of their non-financial business economy. Despite most Member States recording relatively low wage-adjusted labour productivity rates for information services, none of the Member States recorded a ratio below parity (100 %) and as such, the average value added per person employed more than covered average personnel costs in all Member States.

Based on an analysis of the gross operating rate (which is a measure of gross operating profitability) the information services sector was also relatively profitable. The analysis shows that in 2009 this rate ranged from a high of 42.0 % for the United Kingdom, and upwards of 30.0 % for the Netherlands, Belgium and Cyprus, to lows of 8.8 % in Hungary and 5.1 % in France. Indeed, France was the only Member State (for which data are available) to record a gross operating rate that was lower for information services than for the non-financial business economy as a whole. In contrast, the gross operating rates for information services in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were more than three times as high as their respective national averages for the non-financial business economy.

Data sources and availability

The analysis presented in this article is based on the main dataset for structural business statistics (SBS) which are disseminated annually. The series provides information for each Member State as well as a number of non-member countries at a detailed level according to the activity classification NACE. Data are available for a wide range of variables.

Context

This article presents an overview of statistics for the information services sector in the EU, as covered by NACE Rev. 2 Division 63. This division includes the activities of web search portals, data processing and hosting activities, as well as other activities that primarily supply information.

Data processing, hosting and related activities include the activities of providing infrastructure for hosting, data processing services and related activities. Included are specialised hosting activities such as web hosting, streaming services or application hosting, application service provisioning, and general time-share mainframe facilities to clients. Data processing activities include complete processing and specialised reports from data supplied by clients or providing automated data processing and data entry services including database running activities. Web portals includes the operation of websites that use a search engine to generate and maintain extensive databases of internet addresses and content in an easily searchable format. This activity also includes the operation of other websites that act as portals to the internet, such as media sites providing periodically updated content.

Other information service activities include news agency activities, for example, news syndicate and news agency activities furnishing news, pictures and features to the media, as well as other information service activities not elsewhere classified, such as telephone-based information services, information search services on a contract or fee basis, and news and press clipping services.

This NACE division is composed of two groups:

data processing, hosting and related activities; web portals (Group 63.1);
other information service activities (Group 63.2).

Activities of call centres are excluded (Division 82, part of office administrative, office support and other business support activities).

Further Eurostat information

SBS – services (sbs_serv)

Annual detailed enterprise statistics - services (sbs_na_serv)

Annual detailed enterprise statistics for services (NACE Rev.2 H-N and S95) (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)

Preliminary results on services, main indicators (NACE Rev.2) (sbs_sc_r2preli)

SMEs - Annual enterprise statistics broken down by size classes - services (sbs_sc_sc)

Services broken down by employment size classes (NACE Rev.2 H-N and S95) (sbs_sc_1b_se_r2)

SBS - regional data - all activities (sbs_r)

SBS data by NUTS 2 regions and NACE Rev.2, from 2008 onwards (sbs_r_nuts06_r2)

Dedicated section

Structural business statistics

Source data for tables, figures and maps (MS Excel)

Information services (NACE Rev. 2): tables and figures

Other information

Regulation 58/1997 of 20 December 1996 concerning structural business statistics
Decision 2367/2002/EC of 16 December 2002 on the Community statistical programme 2003 to 2007
Regulation 295/2008 of 11 March 2008 concerning structural business statistics