46 Information Services Industry Statistics and Trends

Information services involves several unique segments, including data processing, information technologies, and general computing. All of these different sectors come together to create, manage, and deliver information while helping with other critical business functions. You will find software development, consulting, and systems integration merging with training, education, support, and hardware deployment.

The global information services industry had a total value of $987 billion in 2018, with North America being the largest region for spending and revenues. When looking at the managed services segment of this industry, revenues are expected to total $170 billion in 2019. Security services contribute another $124 billion.

IBM is one of the leading information services organizations in the world today, focusing on IT and managed services. The company achieve a 6% market share in 2017, topping brands like TCS, Accenture, Fujitsu, and Accenture.

Essential Information Services Industry Statistics

#1. 32% of companies around the world say that they have a cloud-based disaster recovery system in place as of 2018. Organizations are still more likely to use a disk-based system, or even recovery tapes, rather than take advantage of third-party services provided by active firms in this industry. (Statista)

#2. The public cloud-computing services market for the industry generated over $214 billion in revenues in 2019. (Statista)

#3. 25% of companies say that they never tested their disaster recovery system in 2018. 54% of agencies said that they outsource their IT advice and consulting services in 2017, which is one of the reasons why there is such a large gap in this protective feature. (Statista)

#4. 52% of organizations in the United States use non-cloud IT service delivery models, with the most widely used platform being Microsoft’s OneDrive in 2018. (Statista)

#5. Over 3.8 million people are employed in the information services industry in the United States, which has seen an annualized growth rate of 1.6% for new opportunities since 2013. (IBIS World)

#6. The information services industry in the United States averaged growth of 3.6% for the 5-year period ending in 2018. (IBIS World)

#7. There are more than 450,000 different companies who are active in the information services and data processing sector in the United States right now. (IBIS World)

#8. Researchers estimate that the digital economy could be worth up to $11.5 trillion each year, which would be the equivalent of 15.5% of the global GDP. It is growing at a rate that is 2.5 times faster than the traditional avenues of commerce. (Brookings Institute)

#9. The U.S. digital economy grew at an average rate of 5.6% between 2006-2016, accounting for 6.5% of the current dollar GDP. (Brookings Institute)

#10. Operations spending in the information services sector, including IT operations, totaled $140.8 billion in 2015. By 2020, that figure is expected to reach $157.8 billion. (Ironpaper)

#11. North America is currently providing 31% of the global revenues for the industry, while Asia provides another 29%. Europe is responsible for about 24% of total revenues. (IDC)

#12. Only 0.3% of the firms in the United States which provide information services of some type employ more than 500 employees. Just 2% have between 100-499 workers. Over 82% of the industry involves micro-businesses which may have as few as 1 employee. (CompTIA)

#13. 30% of the market in 2016 involved telecom services when distributing information in the United States. 25% involved some form of IT services, while just 21% were software-related tasks. (Ironpaper)

#14. California led the United States in information technology spending in 2016, with over $65 billion in this sector. New York came in second at $49.3 billion, while Texas finished at $48.77 billion. Florida was a distant fourth at $24.4 billion. (IDC)

#15. Federal spending in the United States within the information services industry rose from $73 billion to $76 billion between 2011-2014, finally topping $80 billion in 2015. The government budgeted $81.6 billion for FY 2017. (Ironpaper)

#16. 90% of the digital information that we use today has been created in the past 24 months. Because of the extent of data that is available to businesses today, 75% of small businesses will outsource their information services needs to an MSP, VAR, or another solution provider. (SherWeb)

#17. 39% of small- to medium-sized businesses are using managed services from this industry in some capacity, with 49% of leaders expecting even more improvements that can make their organization more productive in the coming year. (SherWeb)

#18. 40% of customers who work in the information services industry postpone their purchases to see if they can obtain what is needed at a future data for a significant discount. (SherWeb)

#19. About one-third of IT businesses in the United States say that they plan to introduce new products or services in the next year. 16% of those agencies say that what they will offer may have a significant impact on their bottom line. (SherWeb)

#20. 92% of agencies say that machine learning is the emerging technology that will make an impact on their industry’s landscape on the coming years. 91% mentioned the Internet of Things, 90% said blockchain, and 85% references quantum computing. (CompTIA)

#21. 31% of active firms in the information services industry said that hiring more workers will be “moderately” more challenging, with 16% saying it would be a significant barrier. Businesses in the UK said this 34% and 12% respectively, while Canadian firms were at 38% and 11% for those figures. (CompTIA)

#22. Software development in the information services industry grew at the fastest rate in 2017, achieving 3.4% growth. Overall employment in the sector increased by 2.1% that year as well. (SherWeb)

#23. 80% of the professionals and corporations who are active in the information services industry say that the availability of apprenticeships is a valuable part of the learning process. (SherWeb)

#24. 44% of the tech workforce within this industry consists of IT professionals, but many of them work in other sectors. Finance, media, healthcare, and public service are all top destinations for professionals who are trained in this way. (SherWeb)

#25. About 40% of the medium and large IT firms in the United States say that they are actively recruiting for qualified candidates to fill open tech positions. Data management, Internet of Things, and software development are the top skills which are currently in high demand. (SherWeb)

#26. Over 30% of the open positions in the information services industry are to replace a worker that recently left the company. 59% of those firms are looking to hire in areas of emerging technology. (SherWeb)

#27. 45% of channel firms say that there is more operational complexity for them in the past two years, but only 11% say that it is a less complex environment. (SherWeb)

#28. The global information technology industry is expected to grow at a 4% rate in 2019, with a downside floor of 1.5%. (CompTIA)

#29. 35% of industry professionals say that an unexpected shock, such as a natural disaster or a new financial crisis, could cause them to lose money in the next year. That’s the same number of firms who are considered about negative government actions, such as a change in trade policy or new regulations. (CompTIA)

#30. 34% of the firms in the information services sector are concerned about shrinking margins and profitability, while 30% say that higher labor costs could cause them to see fewer profits in the coming year. (CompTIA)

#31. 41% think that a pick-up from the existing customer base will help them to achieve higher revenues in the next 12 months, while 38% say that successfully selling new business lines or launching a new product will improve their profitability. (CompTIA)

#32. Only 22% of firms in the industry say that a positive government action, such as a change to the tax code, will help them achieve their growth goals for the year. (CompTIA)

#33. The export of tech products and services from the United States experienced a 3% increase in 2018 from the year before, accounting for 25% of the revenues that are generated annually. (CompTIA)

#34. Over 244,000 jobs are directly supported by tech service exports from the United States, with another 560,000 positions supported by product exports to the rest of the world. (CompTIA)

#35. 58% of firms in the information services industry say that they are hiring because they need to add new headcount due to their expansion efforts. 52% report that there is a need for skills in new areas, such as emerging tech. (CompTIA)

#36. Median tech wages within the industry are 92% higher than the median national wages. The top 10% working in information services earn more than $133,000 per year. Even in the bottom tier, the salary is above $63,000 annually. (CompTIA)

#37. Over 1.5 million people are employed as either a web developer or a software developer in the information services industry. There are about 750,000 network architects, support personnel, and admins, along with the same amount in systems and cybersecurity analysis. (CompTIA)

#38. About 10% of the overall tech job postings in the United States out of the 3.7 million available are for emerging tech. (CompTIA)

#39. Only 20% of the positions which are available in this industry are held by women, even though they make up more than half of the workforce in the United States. (Small Business Trends)

#40. Women are responsible for only 5% of the startups that are owned in this industry, which is the same percentage that is held in leadership positions. (Small Business Trends)

#41. 81% of girls say that they are interested in pursuing a STEM career in their future, but only 13% say that it is their first choice. Most become interested in the information services industry around the age of 11, but then lose interest in it by age 15 because of a lack of mentors, not enough practical experience, and the gender inequality that exists. (Girl Scouts Research Institute)

#42. Salesforce helped to close the gender gap in this industry by spending an extra $3 million on payroll, ordering an internal review of 17,000 employees, and having 19% of their positions filled by women. (Small Business Trends)

#43. Intuit has 38% of their global workforce filled by qualified women, with 27% in overall technology positions. (Small Business Trends)

#44. Only 13% of the open jobs that are supported by the American staffing sector are in engineering, IT, scientific, or information services. 37% of the positions involve industrial work, while 28% of them are related to administrative or clerical positions. (American Staffing Association)

#45. Only 8% of workers who get into their open position because of a staffing professional say that they were dissatisfied with the results. The average wage that they earn is $17 per hour when going through this process, although some workers bring in more than $100 per hour. (American Staffing Association)

#46. Staffing jobs decreased by 2.5% in the first half of 2019 when compared to the week before, but over one-third of workers are still offered a permanent position because of a temporary position created by a staffing organization. Almost 70% of workers accepted an offer if it was given to them. (American Staffing Association)

Information Services Industry Trends and Analysis

The definition of information services before the surge in technology was a service that provides knowledge, data, or information somehow. It would be more accurate to say that this industry as transformed into information systems that provide a combination of technologies, support operations, and personal activities that provide info which allows for better decision-making, corporate management, and efficient production techniques.

As the world becomes more connected, the need to communicate and share information will continue to rise. There will be an emphasis on new hardware and software installations that encourage more automation, collaboration, and storage in the coming years to help workers make the most of their time.

The information services industry may never be able to replicate human creativity, but the technologies will make as more efficient at what we do. When we have higher levels of data availability and know how to use that info, then every other industry can begin to maximize their productivity too.