ICT Employment Statistics in Europe: Measuring Methodology

Despite the persistent need to precisely capture and carefully analyze the employment effects associated with the production and deployment of ICT, policy discussion has not been well-supported by good quality statistical information on the ICT employment. In part, this has been due to the absence of an appropriate framework and agreed terminology for describing and quantifying ICT occupations both inside and outside the ICT sector. This paper aims to supply an empirical researcher with some methodological insights on how to describe the ICT employment landscape in the EU countries. It provides background information on the different taxonomies used to capture ICT employment dynamics, and summarises the opportunities and challenges related to the data. This is not a research paper but rather a technical note, intended for empirical economists dealing with the employment statistics. Its primary objective is to stimulate and promote discussion rather than to provide a definitive solution.