Economic rebound drives ICT demand

Avaya released research that says ICT companies in the Asia-Pacific region expect a demand surge in ICT before the end of 2010 as business sentiment improves, reports ABS CBN News.

The survey, 'Tuning into the channel', conducted at the annual Avaya Asia-Pacific Business Partner Conference, showed 64.6% of respondents expect to see a demand surge in ICT before the end of 2010.

Some 37.7% see the small to medium enterprise (SME) sector as the biggest driver for this increase over the next 12 months. This positive sentiment is supported by business momentum as 40.5% of the Avaya channel partners polled say customers have identified “making selected investments in projects to drive productivity” as a key strategy over the next 12 months.

Premier Wu Den-yi has said the draft statute on promoting innovative industries is applicable to small and medium enterprises and traditional industries, according to Taiwan News.

“Small and medium enterprises that collaborate with schools in talent training programmes are eligible to apply to the government for subsidies,” Industrial Development Bureau director-general Woody Duh was quoted as saying by the Chinese-language United Daily News.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to grant NT$10 000 (R2 400) to SMEs for every newly recruited employee on a monthly basis, which is applicable to traditional, business and service industries.

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is hosting a G20 SME finance meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, to identify finance solutions for SMEs that contribute to employment, poverty reduction, and economic growth, states Trading Markets.

The meeting will bring together senior managers from the world's international development community to share successful SME finance models, introduce a G20 SME finance challenge to private companies, and recommend a set of implemental actions in support of the G20 on SME finance.

Under this initiative, the G20 SME finance sub-group, co-chaired by Germany and SA, is leading an effort that will identify and promote successful models of public financing to maximise the deployment of private sector resources on a sustainable basis.