12 A Skilled Workforce for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth

These trends are reected in both output and trade. The value of world trade in
information and communication technology (ICT) goods increased from US$1,000
billion in 1996 to over US$3,500 billion in 2007. Non-OECD countries were respon-
sible for nearly half the 2007 total, compared to just 15 per cent a decade earlier
(OECD, 2008).
Innovation and technology translate into investment in xed capital and in work-
force and entrepreneurial skills which in turn lead to higher productivity. Countries with
lower levels of economic development accordingly display lower levels of output per
worker. However, these countries also tend to register more rapid increases in output
(gure 2).
Rapid innovation will continue to characterize investments as enterprises expand
into new products and services. While the pace of change may be faster in emerg-
ing economies, the more advanced countries will seek to keep their competitive edge
through investment in innovation.
In all countries the implications for skills development are momentous. Many of
the jobs that will be generated over the next two decades do not exist today; yet most
of the workforce of those years is already in education and training. Even so, the need
to upgrade skills applies not only to young people in schools, universities and training
institutions, but also to the current generation of workers.
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Figure 2: GDP per person employed, 2008 (constant 1990 US$ at PPP), and change since 1990
Source: ILO labour statistics database, Key indicators of the labour market, 6th edition (Geneva, ILO, 2009).