ICT Contributed 17.8 Per Cent To Malaysian Economy In 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector contributed 17.8 per cent (RM206.1 billion, US$49.23 billion) to the nation's economy in 2015 from 17.0 per cent (RM188.4 billion, US$45 billion) in 2014. In a statement on Friday, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said the increase was mainly driven by telecommunication services. On the e-Commerce segment, it said the value added of the segment accounted for 5.9 per cent (RM68.3 billion, US$16.31 billion) of the total Gross Domestic Product last year, up from 5.8 per cent in 2014. On employment opportunities, the department said 1.06 million people were hired in the ICT industry last year, and the number contributed 7.6 per cent to the total employment rate in Malaysia. "The employment was dominated by the ICT manufacturing sector, with the share standing at 38.4 per cent," it added. --BERNAMA