Ibec Digital Economy Policy Briefing Paper, July 2016
Digital transformation is recognized by OECD, WEF, the World Bank and the European Commission as a vehicle for economic and social development. The digital economy is intrinsically linked to our future success and it deserves particular attention. The value of our digital economy has grown dramatically from €4.3 to €12.3 billion in the period 2009-2015. If we can sustain this momentum we have the potential to expand that value to €21.4 billion (7.9% GDP) by 2020, create at least 56,000 extra jobs and enhance productivity across our economy in the same period. At 6%, our digital-related GDP is higher than the EU (5.7%) and G20 (5.3%) averages.
The challenge
We have attracted some of the world's greatest high-tech companies and have a vibrant indigenous tech sector, but a successful digital economy needs to involve all parts of the economy and all regions. Ibec research shows that while Ireland is well positioned to become a global digital leader, we are facing intense competition from rival economies on both the pace and level of our digital readiness. Ibec believe that Government policy must promote and enable further digital adoption by our public and private sector, leading to additional growth and jobs. The Ibec submission for budget 2017 represents the views of the Ibec digital economy committee and has the support of our membership. In this context, some key points from the Ibec budget submission we would like to stress are:
1. Enable digital entrepreneurship and digital innovation
2. Enable greater participation in the digital labour market - attract mobile digital talent and develop indigenous digital skills
3. Invest in digital security and secure further inward investment
To read this Ibec briefing paper, please click on the attached file below.
- Budget2017_DEPC briefing.pdf - 829 Kbytes