Bangkok--6 Sep--Neo Target Areas to improve include IT infrastructure development and IT skilled manpower to maximize the industry potential The research from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on “The means to compete: Benchmarking IT industry competitiveness” ranks Thailand as ninth in the Asia Pacific region, and 41st out of 64 counties globally. The country is given 31.9 total scores in IT industry competitiveness, while Japan comes first in Asia Pacific at 72.7, followed by South Korea at 67.2, Australia at 66.5, Taiwan at 65.8, Singapore at 63.1, New Zealand at 57.5, Hong Kong at 53.4, and Malaysia at 34.9. United States is on top of the list globally. The research on “The means to compete: Benchmarking IT industry competitiveness” is conducted by EIU and sponsored by the Business Software Alliance (BSA). It reveals that major factors enabling a country to have strong competitiveness in the IT industry are IT skills, globally accredited IT infrastructure, and lucid legal environment to protect violations. All this involves collaboration and support from the government sectors. In countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and United Kingdom with thriving IT industries and seen as the world’s hubs for IT, they score well on these various enabling factors. Mr. Seow Hiong Goh, Director Software Policy (Asia), Business Software Alliance revealed, “For Thailand to improve in its IT competitiveness globally, the EIU study finds that the key areas to improve are to enhance the development of IT human capital and to invest further in the IT infrastructure. Greater collaboration among IT industry communities and higher educational institutions can help to develop up-to-date curriculum that will better serve the needs of the industry.” This study plays an important role in conveying better understanding of the IT business foundation. It can provide the answers to questions such as: what factors influence the development of industry competitiveness, what are strong points and weaknesses of each country, why some countries have a stronger IT industry sector than others. In addition, the index can also indicate areas to strengthen the IT industry and factors to encourage business growth in this sector. “Thailand has a relatively favorable overall business environment. The legal environment in Thailand however needs to be strengthened to put it on par with that of other economies in the region. This in includes putting in place more comprehensive IP legislation consistent with international treaties, having an effective enforcement regime in place, as well has considering instituting other IT-related legislation such as spam, privacy and data protection”, Mr. Goh added.IT Industry Competitive Index, 2007 (Category Scores-Asia Pacific)Category weight Overall index score Business environment IT infrastructure Human Capital Legal environment R&D environment Support for IT industry development (10%) (20%) (20%) (10%) (25%) (15%) Japan 72.7 82.0 52.3 67.4 79.0 84.3 77.1 South Korea 67.2 80.0 61.7 74.8 66.0 56.6 74.3 Australia 66.4 92.0 75.9 76.2 87.0 21.1 86.2 Taiwan 65.8 88.0 51.3 73.4 70.0 54.8 75.9 Singapore 63.1 91.0 58.8 84.9 80.5 16.3 87.5 New Zealand 57.5 92.0 50.9 69.5 79.5 14.7 84.0 Hong Kong 53.4 100.0 59.1 49.2 74.5 6.3 84.3 Malaysia 34.9 73.0 16.5 43.7 53.0 1.8 65.5 Thailand 31.9 76.0 6.4 47.7 39.5 0.5 62.6 India 29.1 60.0 0.5 49.6 48.0 0.7 54.0 Philippines 28.7 68.0 2.2 40.7 51.5 0.4 54.0 China 27.9 47.0 8.0 44.7 49.0 2.2 48.1 Sri Lanka 26.0 60.0 0.5 32.7 46.5 0.0 58.0 Indonesia 23.7 51.0 0.0 36.6 39.0 0.6 48.0 Pakistan 20.2 59.0 0.4 19.4 41.0 0.2 41.0 Vietnam 19.9 48.0 0.6 22.4 39.5 0.4 43.0 Business Software Alliance hosted a roundtable to discuss the results of the study and to explore possible strategies to develop Thailand’s potential in the IT industry. “More and more information technology is a leading driver of economic and social progress worldwide,” says Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of Business Software Alliance. “These findings can serve as a roadmap for governments to capitalize on those factors which can strengthen their IT sectors and accelerate the benefits a thriving IT industry can deliver to the entire society.”About the Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit is the business information arm of The Economist Group, publisher of The Economist. Through our global network of over 650 analysts, we continuously assess and forecast political, economic and business conditions in 200 countries. As the world’s leading provider or country intelligence, we help executives make better business decisions by providing timely, reliable and impartial analysis on worldwide market trends and business strategies.About BSA The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce. BSA worldwide members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Bentley Systems, Borland, CNC Software/Mastercam, McAfee, Microsoft, Monotype Imaging, PTC, SolidWorks, Sybase, Symantec, The MathWorks and UGS. BSA regional members in Asia include Agilent Technologies, Altium, BEA Systems, Breault Research Organization, Frontline PCB Solutions - An Orbotech Valor Company, INUS Technology, Mindjet, Minitab, SPSS, Tekla and Trend Micro. BSA local affiliates include ThaiSoftware Enterprise. For more information, please contact: Neo Target Co., Ltd. Suntaree Chinprahut / Nisittha Chaiyen Tel. 0-2631-2290-5 ext 222, 310 Fax. 0-2234-6192-3 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]