Hi-tech industry in Romania - many employees, low revenues

Romania is among the Central and Eastern European countries with the most people working in the hi-tech industry and services. However, the revenues per employee are among the lowest as compared with the European levels.

According to a survey conducted at the end of 2002 by the European Union statistics office Eurostat, 9.76 million people were operating in various sectors of the Romanian economy. Out of this number, 2.1 million people were working in the equipment industries, whereas 3.1 million were employed in the field of services.

The industries producing medium and hi-tech equipment totalled 537,000 employees, while services where higher professional knowledge is needed registered 1.25 million people.

Eurostat includes in the hi-tech output the office supplies and computer sector, as well as the radio, television and communication equipment, but also the medical instruments, optometry and watchmaking. Medium technology activities are represented by the output of chemicals, vehicles and equipment, electrical devices and machines, engines for vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers.

As for the services related to the sectors requiring highly-specialised training, they comprise air and naval transportation, postal services and telecommunications, financial mediation, real estate, IT consulting, research and development, education, health and social services, as well as entertainment, culture and sports.

According to the survey, Romania posts the highest number of employees (537,000) in the medium and hi-tech output sector as compared with the rest of the countries in the region: 425,000 in the Czech Republic, 327,000 in Hungary, 173,000 in Slovenia, and 149,000 in Bulgaria.