15 May 2015

Strong growth in IT sector

4:34 pm on 15 May 2015

The Economic Development Minister says rapid growth in New Zealand's information technology sector shows the economy is diversifying.

300714. Photo Diego Opatowski / RNZ. Steven Joyce  during a press conference regarding Novopay next steps.

Steven Joyce Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski

A new government report said there were now more than 10,000 IT businesses.

It said the technology software and services sector had been growing at the rate of 9 percent per year since 2008.

The minister, Steven Joyce, said the IT sector now contributed more than 1.5 percent of GDP and there was 12 percent growth in employment last year.

"Two thousand nine hundred high paying jobs more, which leads to a total now nearly 27,000 high paying staff and that's 40 percent growth over four years, I think there's very few sectors in New Zealand and Australia that could give you numbers as good as that."

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