Sales of computer and information communication technology (ICT) products in the fourth quarter of last year grew 5.5 percent year-on-year to NT$117.9 billion (US$4.15 billion), the highest quarterly figure on record, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
The computer programming industry posted sales of NT$90.1 billion, up 3.9 percent from a year earlier, and the information services industry reported sales of NT$27.8 billion, up 10.9 percent, the ministry said.
Both industries registered their highest quarterly sales figures, the ministry added.
Photo: CNA
The ministry’s Department of Statistics attributed the growth in the computer programming industry to an increase in enterprise system integration and communications technology services.
As for the information services industry, the department said growth was boosted by pandemic-induced e-commerce sales and increased business activity in data management and backup system services.
However, the professional technology services industry — which includes management consulting, advertising and market research as well as design and photography — reported sales of NT$93.2 billion last quarter, down 3.6 percent year-on-year.
The decline was mainly caused by falling demand for management consulting, as most companies in the business said sales declined 2.4 percent annually due to lower revenue from online marketing and public relations management, it said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies withdrew from product launches and trade exhibitions, causing the design industry to post a 7.8 percent decline in sales, while sales in the photography industry fell 9.4 percent due to a slowdown in the wedding business and image output, it added.
The leasing industry reported that sales last quarter increased 2 percent to NT$37 billion on the back of higher demand for machinery equipment and transportation vehicles, the department said.
Sales in the machinery equipment leasing business were NT$10.8 percent last quarter, up 2.7 percent year-on-year and a quarterly high, which the department attributed to higher demand for construction, office and medical equipment.
The transportation leasing sector also reported a record NT$24.2 billion in sales, up 2.5 percent from a year earlier, but sales in individual and household goods leasing dropped 7.3 percent due to lower consumption amid the pandemic, the department said.
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