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Gunter Grittmann
Head of Information and Communication
E-mail: grittmann@zew.de
Phone: +49 (0)621-1235-132
Fax: +49 (0)621-1235-255
Kathrin Böhmer
Public Relations Officer
E-mail: boehmer@zew.de
Phone: +49 (0)621-1235-103
Fax: +49 (0)621-1235-255
The economic sentiment within the economic sector of the information economy has improved further during the first quarter of 2013. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2012, the ZEW Sentiment Indicator Information Economy increases by 2.8 points and now reaches a level of 61.3 points. It has been crucial for this increase that the companies assess the future business development clearly more optimistically than during the final quarter of 2012. The sub-indicator of business expectations increases by 13.5 points to 69.1 points, which more than outweighs the decrease in the previous quarter. This is the result of a survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in March 2013 within the information economy (further information regarding the survey at the bottom of the press release). read more
In spite of a slight decrease by 0.5 points to a level of 57.6 points, the ZEW Sentiment Indicator Information Economy again lies above the crucial 50-points mark in the third quarter of 2012. The majority of companies, hence, expect a positive economic development of the sector. The economic sentiment in the information economy has already been remaining relatively stable since the third quarter of 2011, and by the end of this year, further improvement is expected. Even in the sub-sector of media service providers, where estimations have been rather bleak since the beginning of the year, optimism gradually spreads. Expectations for the coming months have brightened up noticeably. These are the findings of the quarterly survey among companies in the information economy in Germany, conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. read more
At first sight, the economic sentiment of the companies in the information economy being surveyed by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) on a quarterly basis seems unchanged. With a minus of 0.3 points and a current value of 58.1 points in the June survey, the ZEW Sentiment Indicator for the Information Economy lies above the crucial 50-points mark again in the second quarter of 2012. A positive economic development can thus be expected during the next months. Taking a look on the sub-indicators which compose the ZEW Sentiment Indicator Information Economy, however, shows that there are indeed remarkable changes. These changes can primarily be traced back to the ICT sector which is especially important for the information economy. read more
In 2011, only 13 per cent of the companies in the information economy sold products and services on the Internet. However, 65 per cent of the companies within this sector used the Internet to obtain goods and services. These are the results of a representative company survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research in March 2012. read more
After a slight recovery during the fourth quarter of 2011, the economic sentiment within the information economy has again tarnished slightly during the first quarter of 2012. The Economic Sentiment Indicator for the Information Economy drops by 3.2 points to 58.4 points during the first quarter. But, with a value of more than 50 points, it still indicates a positive development. This is the finding of the economy survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim, Germany, in March 2012 within the information economy sector. read more
In the first three months of 2012, the employment situation in the German information industry is mainly positive. Approximately two thirds of the companies active in this economic sector plan to operate with a stable number of employees. 24 per cent plan to hire staff and approximately 10 per cent intend to reduce the number of employees. On balance, subtracting the negative from the positive shares of expectations, 14 per cent of the companies engaged in the information industry plan to increase their manpower. Thus, the positive labour market situation already observed in the fourth quarter of 2011 stabilises. These are the findings of a representative survey conducted in December 2011 by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in cooperation with Creditreform in Neuss. read more
In the fourth quarter of 2011, the information industry in Germany has recovered slightly from the weak economic sentiment during the third quarter. The ZEW Economic Sentiment Indicator for the Information Industry increases by five points to 61.6. This improvement of the economic sentiment in the fourth quarter is mainly due to the developments in the ICT sector, which has recovered considerably after a strong decline in the previous quarter. These are the findings of an economic survey conducted in December 2011 by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss, among representatives from the information industry. read more
More than 37 per cent of all companies engaged in the information economy do already rely on cloud computing. 48 per cent of these cloud users accelerated their business processes and 40 per cent obtained efficiency gains. These are the findings of a survey among companies within the information economy conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss, in September 2011. read more
The utilisation of tablet PCs among companies of the information industry is rapidly growing. Already 25 per cent of the companies provide their staff with tablets. This number is expected to grow by another 12 per cent until the end of 2012. These are the findings of a survey among companies of the information industry conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss, in September 2011. read more
After having peaked during the second quarter of 2011, the sentiment in the economic sector of information industry has tarnished noticeably during the third quarter. The ZEW Sentiment Indicator Information Industry drops by 13.6 points to 56.6 points. The negative development is mainly caused by the decrease of sentiment in the information and communication industry. The indicator for this sector drops by 25 points. This is the result of the newly shaped economic survey, conducted in September 2011 by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss. read more
The economic sentiment among companies in the economic sector service providers of the information society remains positive in the middle of 2011. Neither strong increases nor decreases in the indicators for the business situation or the business expectations for the third quarter of 2011 could be observed. Accordingly, the ZEW-IDI, the economic sentiment indicator for the whole economic sector of service providers of the information society, has increased only slightly by 0.3 points in the second quarter of 2011. It now stands at 62.7 points. This is still significantly above the critical value of 50 points. A ZEW-IDI value above 50 points indicates a better economic sentiment in comparison to the previous quarter. These are the findings of the business survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)in Mannheim in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss. The survey was conducted in June 2011 in the economic sector service providers of the information society. read more
The overall sentiment in the sector of service providers of the information society has tarnished in the first quarter of the year 2011 in comparison to the quarter immediately prior to it. To a significant extent, this is due to the deterioration of the business situation. Accordingly, the ZEW-IDI drops by 4.4 points in the first quarter of 2011 to a level of 62.4 points. Even though the direct contrast with the previous quarter suggests a lower value, a ZEW-IDI above 50 points indicates an arguably improved economic sentiment with respect to the previous quarter. This is the result of the business survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in a collaborative effort with Creditreform, Neuss, in March 2011 in the sector of service providers of the information society. (Details shall be provided at the end of press release) read more
In the fourth quarter of 2010, the sentiment in the economic sector of service providers of the information society continued to improve in comparison to the previous quarter. A reason for this is, in particular, the very positive development of the current business situation in the economic sector. Thus, the ZEW-IDI, the economic sentiment indicator for the whole economic sector of service providers of the information society, increased by 4.4 points in the fourth quarter of 2010 and now stands at a value of 66.8 points. A ZEW-IDI value above 50 points indicates a better economic sentiment in comparison to the previous quarter. These are the findings of a business survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss. The survey was conducted in December 2010 in the economic sector service providers of the information society (see details at end of press release). read more
In the third quarter 2010, the sentiment in the economic sector of service providers of the information society consisting of ICT service providers and knowledge intensive service providers is optimistic. "The reason for this development is that the situation for ICT service providers has considerably improved. This, in turn, is due to the firms’ optimistic assessment of the business situation in this sub-sector," says Jenny Meyer, researcher at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. Among the ICT service providers, i.e. software businesses, IT services, ICT specialised trade and telecommunication services, particularly firms in the software and IT services sector are the driving force behind this development. More than 50 percent of these firms report an increase in sales and a majority reports increasing demand in the third quarter 2010. These are the findings of a business survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss. The survey was conducted in September 2010 in the economic sector service providers of the information society. read more
In the second quarter of 2010, the economic situation of knowledge intensive service providers, including tax consultants, accountants, management consultants, architects, technical consultants and planners, research and development companies and advertising companies, has considerably increased in comparison to the first quarter of 2010. "The reason for the increased optimism is the positive assessment of the current business situation by knowledge intensive service providers," says Miruna Sarbu, researcher at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. The positive assessment of the current business situation comes along with optimistic business expectations for the third quarter of 2010. Especially management consultants, technical consultants and planners as well as research and development companies are the driving force for this development. read more
The economic situation among companies in the economic sector service providers of the information society overall remains stable in the first quarter of 2010. The current business situation receives slightly poorer evaluations compared to the previous quarter. However, survey participants expect the economic situation to improve in the second quarter of 2010. read more
The economic situation among companies in the economic sector service providers of the information society further improves. Companies in this economic sector overall expect a positive development in the first quarter of 2010. Moreover, the current business situation receives better evaluations than in mid 2009. read more
The economic crisis reached the service providers of the information society in Germany at the beginning of the year 2009. By now about 88 percent of all businesses in this economic sector, which comprises the knowledge intensive service providers and the ICT-specialised service providers, report to be affected by the current economic crisis, the negative impact ranging from slightly to very strong. This is the result of a survey among the service providers of the information society which the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim has conducted in cooperation with the credit reference agency Creditreform, Neuss, in September 2009 (details of the survey are provided at the end of this press release). read more
The ZEW-IDI, a sentiment indicator for the economic sector service providers of the information society in Germany, which includes the knowledge intensive service providers as well as the ICT-service providers, increases by 5.6 points to a value of 54.7 points in the third quarter of 2009. For the first time this year the indicator now is above the critical value of 50 points which points to an improvement of the economic sentiment compared to the previous quarter. The main cause of this positive development is the distinct brightening of business expectations regarding the fourth quarter of 2009. The corresponding partial indicator for the business expectations rises to a value of 62.1 points in the third quarter of 2009. "This figure makes clear that companies are optimistic with regard to their business situation in the fourth quarter of 2009," explains Miruna Sarbu, researcher at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. The ZEW-IDI is based on a business survey among service providers of the information society, conducted by the ZEW in cooperation with the credit reference agency Creditreform, Neuss, in September 2009 (details regarding the survey are provided below). read more
The sector service providers of the information society, comprising both knowledge-intensive and ICT-specialised service providers, has been highly innovative over the past twelve months. Around 40 percent of the companies have differentiated their range of services by, for instance, changing their service hours or by complementing their services. Around 39 percent have extended their range of services by, for instance, developing new customer circles and market segments. Moreover, 18 percent of the companies have standardised their range of services. This is the result of a survey among service providers of the information society conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, in cooperation with the credit reference agency Creditreform, Neuss, in June 2009 (details regarding the survey are provided below). read more
In the second quarter 2009, cautious optimism has emerged regarding the business situation in the sector service providers of the information society, which includes both knowledge-intensive service providers and ICT service providers. read more
The ZEW-IDI, a sentiment indicator for the whole sector service providers of the information society, falls by 14.2 points to 39.9 points in the first quarter 2009. Therefore the indicator lies below the critical value of 50 points for the first time since it was established. A value of the ZEW-IDI above this mark signalises an improvement of the economic sentiment compared to the previous quarter, while any value below this mark stands for a deteriorating sentiment. read more
One-third of German-based Service Providers of the Information Society – an economic sector that includes ICT service providers as well as knowledge-intensive service providers – export their services abroad. "For these firms, German-speaking foreign countries represent the most important export market, followed by the rest of Western Europe", says Jenny Meyer, a researcher at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. read more
In the fourth quarter 2008 the economic situation for businesses in the sector service providers of the information society slightly recovered. The ZEW-IDI, a sentiment indicator for this sector, rises by 1.8 points to 54.1 points. "This is mainly due to the consistent situation of supply and demand", says Jenny Meyer, researcher at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim. read more
The ZEW-IDI, a sentiment indicator for the whole sector service providers of the information society comprising both the ICT service providers and knowledge-intensive service providers, fell to 52.3 points in the third quarter 2008. This is the lowest value the indicator has seen since it was established in the fourth quarter 2003. read more
In Germany the business situation of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) service providers, comprising enterprises of the branches software and IT-services, ICT-specialized trade as well as telecommunication services, has improved in the first quarter 2008 compared to the fourth quarter 2007. The knowledge-intensive service providers which include enterprises of the branches tax consultancy and accounting, management consultancy, architecture, technical consultancy and planning, research and development as well as advertising assess their current business situation in the first quarter 2008 more pessimistically. However, this pessimism will not last. The business expectations for the second quarter 2008 are assessed far more positively by the ICT service providers as well as the knowledge-intensive service providers. This is the result of a business survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, in cooperation with the credit reference agency Creditreform, Neuss, in March 2008. read more
The German service providers of the information society are split over their business expectations for the first quarter 2008. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) service providers, comprising enterprises of the branches software and IT-services, ICT-specialized trade as well as telecommunication services, are far more optimistic concerning the start of the new business year than the knowledge-intensive service providers which include enterprises of the branches tax consultancy and accounting, management consultancy, architecture, technical consultancy and planning, research and development as well as advertising. read more
The business situation of the IT-related service providers has deteriorated in the third quarter 2007. The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the economic sector IT-related service providers, calculated on the basis of the four components current turnover and demand, as well as expected turnover and expected demand, has decreased by 4.5 points in comparison to the second quarter 2007 and is now at a level of 61.4 points. The current business situation as well as the business expectations for the fourth quarter 2007 are being assessed worse by the firms of the economic sector. read more
The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the economic sector IT-related service providers, in the second quarter 2007 has increased by 2.1 points in comparison to the first quarter 2007 and now reaches a value of 65.9 points. Particularly the partial indicator which reflects the assessment of the current business situation is responsible for this increase. read more
The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the economic sector IT-related service providers, has slightly decreased by 0.5 points in the first quarter 2007 and now reaches a value of 63.8 points. The business situation in the first quarter 2007 is being assessed worse by the firms in the economic sector than in the fourth quarter 2006. The partial indicator which reflects the assessment of the current business situation has decreased in the first quarter 2007 by 6.6 points down to a value of 59.4 points. However, the expectations for the following quarter are considerably better. That is, the partial indicator which reflects the estimation of the future business situation has increased in the first quarter 2007 by 5.9 points to a value of 68.5 points. This is the result of a business survey among German IT-related service providers conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, in cooperation with the credit reference agency Creditreform, Neuss, in March 2007. read more
The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the economic sector IT-related service providers, has slightly increased by 0.2 points in the fourth quarter 2006 and now reaches a value of 64.3 points. The business situation is being positively assessed by the firms in the economic sector in the fourth quarter 2006. read more
The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the economic sector IT-related service providers, has slightly decreased on the third quarter 2006 by 5.5 points and is now at a level of 64.1 points. Indeed, the business development in the third quarter 2006 has been less dynamic compared to the previous quarter. Nevertheless the high value of the indicator, despite this slight decline, expresses an optimistic sentiment and suggests a stabilisation of the business situation in the economic sector. read more
The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the economic sector of IT-related service providers, has receded in the first quarter 2006 by 7.4 points to now 63.3 points. Its high level nevertheless expresses optimism, notwithstanding this decline. read more
IT-related service providers concluded the year 2005 with a favourable business outlook. For the first time, positive effects on the job market can be seen as well. read more
In the third quarter 2005 the IT-related service providers followed up on the positive business development of the previous quarter and further expanded their respective activities. This is indicated by the clear increase of the ZEW-IDI. read more
The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the economic sector IT-related service providers, climbed to a score of 62.6 points in the second quarter 2005. With this marked increase, as compared to the previous quarter's value (55.4 points), the indicator reaches its peak of the second and third quarter 2004. read more
The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the economic sector IT-related service providers, has dropped in the first quarter 2005 for the second quarter in a row and now rates at 55.4 points. This value of the indicator, which is being compiled since the third quarter of 2003, corresponds with the, as of yet, historic low recorded in the first quarter 2004. read more
The ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the German IT-related service providers, rates with 59.0 points in the fourth quarter of 2004 clearly below the previous quarter's value of 62.6 points. read more
The value of the ZEW-IDI, sentiment indicator for the German IT-related service providers, is 62.6 points in the second quarter of 2004. This value clearly exceeds the value of 55.4 points of the first quarter. read more
The ZEW-IDI value is 55.4 points in the first quarter of 2004. This sentiment indicator for the German IT-related service providers was introduced at the end of last year. In the fourth quarter of 2003 the ZEW-IDI had reached a value of 58.4 points. read more
From now on the ZEW will be releasing a quarterly sentiment indicator for the IT-related service providers. The new indicator, ZEW-IDI, is based upon the ZEW/Creditreform business survey among enterprises that belong to this sector. read more
The annual rate of growth in turnover in the German IT-related services sector increased to 2.1 percent in the third quarter of 2003, up from 1.8 percent in the previous quarter. read more
The development of the annual rate of growth in turnover in the German IT-related services sector in the second quarter of 2003 was better than the firms had forecasted in the previous quarter. It increased to 1.8 percent, after 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2003. read more
The annual rate of growth in turnover in the German IT-related services sector declined to 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2003 from 2.1 percent in the previous quarter. The poor economic development in this sector becomes especially apparent when compared to the first quarter of 2002: Turnover, income, demand and personnel have declined; only the downward pressure on prices has abated slightly compared to the start of 2002. read more
Turnover growth stabilised in the German sector of IT-related services at the end of 2002. The annual rate of growth in turnover increased to 2.1 percent in the fourth quarter 2002 from 1.4 percent in the previous quarter. read more
In the third quarter of 2002 the turnover growth in the sector of IT-related service providers has decelerated again. It is currently standing at a yearly rate of 1.4 percent. read more