Information Technology Market Still Growing

The information technology, telecommunications and entertainment electronics, according to the prognosis of experts, will grow 2 percent.

Computers, LCD monitors, plasma televisions and various digital devices for entertainment are getting better year after year, and despite that, their price falls. It is a real miracle that the sector is experiencing growth.

Last night before CeBIT opened, the German federation of information technology and telecommunications, BITKOM, raised its expectations for economic growth this year.

Currently, the good mood in the German economy has not bypassed the information technology and communications branches, even though – to consumer’s delight – it is battling falling prices, often with small profit margins. The president of the BITKOM federation, Willi Berchtold is very optimistic:

The information technology market, telecommunications and entertainment, according to our estimates will grow two percent and reach a volume of 149 billion euros. Up until now the growth rate was 1.6 percent”.

It is expected that the annual volume will pass 150 billion euros next year. In favor of that is the overall good mood in Germany, and the fact that there are no signs of consumer reluctance in the entertainment electronics market. This year, LCD and plasma television volume should grow 18 percent with a turnover of over four billion euros, and that trend will, in the foreseeable future, continue.

According to the claims of the federation, most of the companies in the information technology and communications sectors are experiencing growth, which is being felt in the employment market. There is currently a worker deficit of 20,000 employees, because there simply are simply no suitable experts. This is why Berchtold appealed to federal districts who are responsible for education, to make technical careers more attractive for young people. At the same time he also called upon the members of his own federation to undertake something:

“To complain about the lack of skilled workers is one thing, but to do something about it, is another. This is why I call upon companies: create apprentice positions, make room for students at educational academies and invest more in educating your coworkers.”.

To compensate for the lack of skilled workers in the short term, the president of BITKOM feels it is necessary to import workers from abroad. According to his opinion, it would be necessary to change the laws of immigration. Because according to current laws, foreign experts must have yearly gross earnings of at least 84 thousand euros.

Berchtold feels that that figure should be halved, which would also mean that foreign experts would earn much less than their German counterparts for the same job.