As part of Microsoft Corp.'s Executive Partner Summit today, the company announced results from a new economic impact study conducted by International Data Corp. (IDC). Sponsored by Microsoft, the economic impact study highlights the fact that information technology (IT) continues to be a major driver of local and regional economic activity in the countries within the Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. According to the study, IT-related activities in 19 EMEA countries were the source of nearly 9 million jobs and more than $200 billion (U.S.) in tax receipts in 2004. And the IT industry's impact is expected to grow: Over the next four years, the EMEA IT sector is expected to generate 2 million new jobs and an additional $160 billion (U.S.) in tax revenues in these regions.
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