Employment in high-tech sectors
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High-tech sectors account for 9% of total employment
In 2019, 8.9% of the total number of employed persons in the Flemish Region worked in one of the high-tech sectors. This share has declined over the past decade, although there are signs of a slight upturn since 2016.
The share of employed persons in high-tech sectors is significantly higher for men (12.7%) than for women (4.7%). In recent years there has been a slight increase for both men and women.
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High-tech services on the rise in employment
The high-tech sector may be broken down into 2 main sectors: high-tech services and (medium) high-tech industry. In 2019, representing 3.7% of the total number of employed persons, the share of high-tech services was less than that of the (medium) high-tech industry (5.2%). Over the years, the share of the service component gradually grew. The opposite was true for (medium) high-tech industry.
Both in industry and services the share is higher for men (7.7% and 5.0%) than for women (2.3% each). For both men and women, the importance of the industrial component declined between 2008 and 2019 and that of the services component increased.
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Flemish employment in high-tech sectors on a par with the EU average
In 2019, the Flemish Region had within Belgium the highest share of high-tech sector employed persons (8.9%). In the Brussels Capital Region, this share stood at 7.9%, while in the Walloon Region 7.1% of the employed persons had a high-tech job. In the Brussels Capital Region, the share of high-tech services is relatively high (5.8%) compared to the other regions.
The share of high-tech employment in overall employment in the Flemish Region in 2019 virtually corresponded with the average figure for the Member States of the European Union (EU28: 9,2%, EU27: 9.0%). The share is particularly high in some Eastern European Member States. The Czech Republic has the highest share (14.8%). Germany too boasts a relatively high percentage (12.5%). Belgium and the other neighbouring countries remain below the EU average. In Cyprus the share is lowest (3.2%).
Definitions
High-tech sectors: sectors of industry which conduct a comparatively high level of research and development. The high-tech sectors can be broken down into an industrial and a service component: (medium) high-tech industry and high-tech services.
(Medium) high-tech industry: the chemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the manufacture of electronic and IT products and electrical equipment, the manufacture of machines, equipment and tools and of means of transport.
High-tech services: the production of films, TV and radio programmes, telecommunications, the design of and consultancy services in the area of computer software, scientific research.