Survey: German IT Companies Believe Worst Is Over

By Agence France-Presse Companies in Germany's crisis-ridden computer and information technology sector seem to believe the worst is over and are looking to 2003 with cautious optimism, the results of a sector-wide survey showed on Dec. 17. In a poll of its members by the BITKOM industry association, 54% of companies were expecting a rise in sales next year and around 28% forecast at least stable sales. By contrast, just over 17% of respondents said they remained pessimistic. "The most difficult year in the history of our sector is now behind us," said BITKOM Deputy President Willi Berchtold. Nevertheless, real recovery was not expected before 2004, with the overall high-tech market in Germany expected to grow by just 0.4% to 136.5 billion euros (US$140 billion) in 2003, BITKOM predicted. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2002