OREANDA-NEWS. March 25, 2010.  Labor productivity on the basis of value added of the information and communications technologies (ICT) sector in 2009 was twice the average of the business sector, Statistics Estonia reports.

Preliminary data put the value added of the ICT sector in 2009 at 7.6 billion kroons (EUR 485.6 mln), which accounted for 9 percent of the total value added of the business sector.

Labor productivity of the ICT sector exceeded the average labor productivity of the business sector more than two times. It was mainly due to telecommunications enterprises whose labor productivity was four times higher than the average of the business sector.

Enterprises of the ICT sector sold in 2009 goods and services worth 24.9 billion kroons, accounting for 5 percent of the total net sales of the business sector. Service enterprises generated the biggest part of the net sales of the ICT sector (19.6 billion kroons).

Net sales of ICT manufacturing enterprises were 5.3 billion kroons. Persons employed in the ICT sector numbered 16,000, accounting for roughly 4 percent of the total number of persons employed in business enterprises. At the same time personnel costs of the ICT sector formed 7 percent of the personnel costs of the business sector.

Statistics Estonia compiled an overview of the ICT sector for the first time in 2009. The ICT sector comprises economic activities of manufacturing and service whose products maintain, transmit or display data and information electronically.