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Qatar s ICT Landscape

Assessment of Information& Communication Technology in Qatar

Contents

3

7

13

23

31

37

45

49

55

61

Introduction

Executive Summary

Chapter I: Residents

Chapter II: Business

Chapter III: Government

Chapter IV: Education

Chapter V: Health

Chapter VI: Tourism

Chapter VII: ICT Workforce

Appendix

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Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2009

IntroductionQatar’s leadership recognized that information and communication technology is integral to realizing a prosperous future for its citizens. ictQATAR, the government’s ICT champion, has been working to develop a vibrant and innovative ICT sector that will fuel Qatar’s economy, promote democratic processes, offer world-class healthcare to all citizens, and provide learners with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a global economy. The creation and implementation of a three-year master plan provides the blueprint for moving forward in a comprehensive and strategic way.

In order to monitor and evaluate progress, ictQATAR commissioned Madar Research to survey and analyze the state of ICT in Qatar. Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2009 is Qatar’s first country-wide survey-based ICT study. The report indicates how the stakeholders crucial to the growth of a knowledge-based economy, including residents, government, and the business community, are adopting ICT. The report also looks at the education, health, and tourism sectors, as well as the ICT job market.

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2009 is based on 13 field surveys, which produced a total of more than 4,800 interviews conducted from mid-June 2008 to mid-October 2008. The assessment also utilized extensive secondary research involving literature and web surveys. Survey data was gathered primarily from face-to-face interviews, supplemented by telephone interviews and self-administered questionnaires. Various sampling procedures were used depending on the nature of each survey, from census to stratified random selection, so that the demographics would mirror the population targeted by each survey. Further detail about the methodology can be found in the report’s Appendix.

This first report provides a good understanding of where Qatar stands today compared to developing and developed countries in terms of ICT adoption by all sectors of its society. It also points to the areas of greatest need. In just a few short years, Qatar has begun to realize the rewards of information and communication technology. Qatar’s people, institutions, and government have made steady progress in adopting ICT into daily life. In the Global Information Technology Report 2008-09, produced by the World Economic Forum in cooperation with INSEAD, Qatar rose to 29th among 134 nations from the previous year’s ranking of 32nd among 127 nations in the Networked Readiness Index. However, the report also makes clear that Qatar must accelerate its efforts in order to realize the nation’s vision of a diverse, flexible economy that advances the welfare of all Qatar’s people.

ictQATAR continues to champion efforts to accelerate ICT adoption across all sectors. In the years ahead, an increasingly vibrant and innovative ICT sector will secure Qatar’s economy and an even brighter tomorrow for Qatar’s families.

Executive Summary

Executive Summary �


Source: UN, ITU, and Madar Research

Source: UN, ITU, and Madar Research 2008 Reports

BackgroundQatar is well on its way to building an information-based society. Spurred by the opening of the telecoms market to competition and a strategic and comprehensive three-year ICT master plan, Qatar is being recognized internationally for its progress (Table 1). Qatar rose to 29th among 134 nations from the previous year’s ranking of 32nd among 127 nations in the Networked Readiness Index produced by the World Economic Forum, in cooperation with INSEAD. The same report details the leap over the previous year in government readiness and ICT usage. Qatar is ranked 22nd in government readiness in areas like government prioritization of ICT, government procurement of advanced technology products, and importance of ICT to government’s vision of the future. In government usage of ICT, Qatar ranks 25th.

Qatar’s progress in ICT adoption1 among all sectors of society has not been without challenges. As Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2009 notes, an important demographic characteristic that separates Qatar, along with the UAE and Kuwait, from the rest of the world is that 40 percent of its population age 18 and older is transient-unskilled labor living in temporary housing and working mainly in construction. The number of these workers increases or decreases from year to year depending on construction and real estate trends, impacting overall population figures. Because these workers have a low ICT adoption rate in terms of basic ICT indicators, figures based on the entire population are less favorable.

In terms of businesses, micro enterprises (comprising 10 employees or less) constitute the majority of all enterprises in Qatar. They have lagged behind other businesses in ICT adoption.

Analysis of key findings from the primary and secondary

research gathered in 2008 are summarized below and detailed more fully in the individual chapters of this report.

The Overall PictureOver the past several years, Qatar’s people, institutions, and government have made steady progress in adopting ICT into daily life.

Qatar now ranks among the top three in the Arab world in terms of combined performance in basic ICT indicators such as the numbers of computer users, Internet users, mobile telephone, fixed telephone lines, and broadband Internet subscribers (Table 2).

Index Reference World Rank Arab Rank

29 (out of 134)

26 (out of 134)

53 (out of 182)

37 (out of 181)

45 (out of 134)

24 (out of 130)

The Networked Readiness Index 2008-2009

Global Competitiveness Index 2008-2009

E-Government Readiness Index 2008

Ease of Doing Business Index 2009

Knowledge Economy Index 2008

Global Innovation Index 2008/09

WEF INSEAD The Global Information

Technology Report 2008-2009

WEF INSEAD The Global Competitiveness Report

2008-2009

UN e-Government Survey 2008

IFC and the World Bank 2009

World Bank 2008

INSEAD and Confederation of Indian Industry

2

1

4

2

2

1

Table 1: Qatar’s Ranking on Global ICT-Related Indices

1 “ICT adoption” is broadly defined as the integration of computers, Internet, and related technologies in social and economic activities. The wider the use of these technologies in the daily life of individuals or the daily operations of organizations, the higher is the level of ICT adoption.

PCs per 100 Inhabitants

Internet Users per 100 Inhabitants

Mobile Subscriptions per 100 Inhabitants

Fixed Telephone Lines per 100 inhabitants

Broadband Internet Subscriptions per 100

Inhabitants

31 (out of 192)

64 (out of 203)

55 (out of 203)

89 (out of 203)

58 (out of 203)

2

3

4

3

3

Table 2: Qatar’s Performance in Main ICT Indicators

Key ICT Indicator World Rank Arab Rank

Qatar’s three major stakeholders – government, businesses, and residents – are not at the same level of ICT adoption. Residents (excluding the transient labor population) performed better in overall ICT indicators than government and business; businesses have the most progress to make. The general assessment of the main factors that support widespread ICT adoption – availability and quality of ICT infrastructure and services, and ICT skilled users – shows that lack of ICT skills, especially in businesses, is the strongest barrier.

Below are the key findings from the sector-specific research: residents, business, government, education, healthcare, tourism, and ICT workforce.

ResidentsOverall, residents in Qatar have been steadily increasing their ICT adoption rate, especially in terms of basic use of ICT tools, such as using a computer for word processing, e-mail, or to search the Internet. Among the resident population (excluding the transient labor population), basic ICT indicators are comparable to European (EU-15) averages; basic ICT indicators are low when the transient labor population is included.

Excluding the transient labor population, Internet penetration among Qatar’s residents is 63 percent, 54 percent are computer users, and 120.8 percent are mobile subscribers.

A benchmark inconsistency surfaces among Qatar’s Internet users in indicators related to basic Internet usage, such as use of e-mail and search engines, and their performance in advanced Internet use, such as e-banking and e-government services. While basic use indicators are comparable with their EU counterparts, Qatar’s residents’ performance in advanced use is behind that in Europe. This may partly be explained by lack of public awareness of (and conversely lack of adequate promotion of) these services, as well as lack of variety of advanced services or user-friendly services.

Qatar is among the top countries in the world in terms of low ICT costs as a percentage of monthly per capita GDP. However, the cost for some key ICT services, such as broadband Internet use, remains too high for the lowest income strata – the largest population segment – constituting a relatively large portion of their income, as evident in the Residents Survey.

BusinessMicro enterprises (fewer than 10 employees) dominate the business sector by sheer number, as they constitute around 80 percent of all enterprises in Qatar. However, they employ 18 percent of the total workforce. Enterprises with more than 100 employees (large and super large companies) constitute only 1.84 percent of all companies, but they employ as much as 53 percent of Qatar’s workforce. While Qatar’s business community has in recent years increased its ICT adoption to assume a leading position among developing countries, micro enterprises (found

largely in the retail arena, catering directly to consumers) have fallen far behind in ICT adoption. They trail the rest of business-size segments in all indicators, including: e-business infrastructure, broadband Internet connectivity, web presence, and Internet utilization to interact with government agencies and financial institutions.

One quarter of all enterprises in Qatar use advanced Internet services such as e-commerce, e-banking, and e-government services compared to an average of almost two-thirds in EU countries. While it is expected that an early Internet adoption in Europe should position EU countries ahead of Qatar in terms of advanced use, the gap may be explained by a few factors such as lack of ICT training of employees in advanced Internet use.

GovernmentThe government has been aggressive in its ICT adoption in several areas including ICT training of staff and the ratio of PCs to employees, which stands at 88.2 PCs per 100 employees.

A significant number of government services have yet to be transformed into e-services to encourage widespread use of e-government in Qatar.

The percentage of IT staff vis-à-vis total staff in the government sector is low compared to the world average. Nevertheless, the government sector outperformed the business sector on all indicators, from the number of ICT training hours provided for employees to PC and Internet use.

EducationQatar’s schools have an average of 12.7 PCs per 100 students, the highest in the Arab world. The average number of PCs available for educational purposes is only 8.3 PCs per 100 students. Independent schools have the best ratio among the four school types at 16.2 PCs per 100 students, significantly higher than the European average of 12.1.

Unlike the EU countries where the ICT adoption level rises as the grade level rises, Qatar does not follow the same pattern. For example, intermediate schools in Qatar registered a higher PC-to-student ratio and Internet-connected PC-to-student ratio compared to secondary schools.

Furthermore, the PC-to-student ratio in Europe is almost 1.5

Executive Summary �


times that of Qatar and the percentage of schools with PCs in the classroom in Europe is nearly 3.5 times the percentage observed in Qatar’s schools.

HealthThe government-run health sector in Qatar is better equipped to provide ICT tools and infrastructure than privately run facilities. However, all told, nearly 70 percent of health professionals in Qatar have Internet access at work.

Of Qatar’s healthcare providers, 15.6 percent have health-related websites and only 3.1 percent offer transactional services – compared to a community of healthcare professionals and residents who are proficient in Internet use. This suggests that Qatar should focus on e-health services to link patients with healthcare providers and services.

Nearly 76 percent of physicians in Qatar were connected to an online health professionals’ network as of Q3 2008. In comparison, 57 percent of nurses and 70 percent of allied health professionals were connected to such networks.

TourismA minority of visitors utilized Qatar-based websites to look for travel and recreation information in Qatar. This indicates a probable weakness in availability and visibility of reliable multi-lingual websites providing comprehensive, accurate, and helpful information for visitors.

Most visitors to Qatar are ICT literate. The majority of visitors are business professionals who require easy and reliable access to the Internet for information and communication purposes while in Qatar. Yet, despite increased ICT adoption in Qatar’s tourism industry, 10 percent of hotels do not offer Internet access to guests.

ICT WorkforceDemand for ICT professionals in Qatar outweighs local supply by severalfold. However, this shortage in local supply is

not expected to pose a major challenge. Qatar is likely to continue attracting ICT workers due to the country’s rise as a regional business hub and its ability to withstand the global economic downturn.

While workers possessing most ICT skills are available for Qatari employers to recruit, the challenge lies in ensuring optimal use of these skills and enhancing them to ensure increased productivity and operational efficiency.

An issue that needs to be addressed is an increasing challenge facing fresh graduates from local universities who are competing for jobs.

While it is in Qatar’s interest to see that all students from local universities with ICT specialization find placement in the Qatari market upon graduation, it may become more difficult for them to compete with a likely increased influx of expatriate ICT professionals drawn to Qatar as a result of the global economic downturn.

Looking AheadThis first country-wide report assesses Qatar’s progress in ICT adoption and identifies areas of greatest need. In the next several years, Qatar will again evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts to connect people and institutions to the technologies that enrich lives and drive economic competitiveness.

As this report demonstrates, Qatar has begun to lay a strong foundation for sustainable economic and social development. While Qatar’s people, institutions, and government have made steady progress in adopting ICT into daily life, much work still remains.

The country must accelerate its efforts in order to realize the nation’s vision of a flexible, diversified economy that benefits all who live and work in Qatar.

ictQATAR will be at the forefront of this effort.

Chapter I: Residents

Residents 1�


BackgroundThis chapter examines the ICT adoption level by residents in Qatar. These residents include both nationals and expatriates. Two field surveys garnered information to assess ICT adoption and usage levels among residents and to determine existing ICT infrastructure among households in the country.

Careful attention was taken to ensure that the sample mirrors Qatar’s actual population and its geographic distribution (Figure 1).

Qatar’s population has been steadily rising over the past five years, recording a 17.5 percent compound average growth rate (CAGR) from 2004–2008 (Figure 2). The Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) estimates the country’s population at 1.55 million by the end of 2008. The male to female ratio is 3:1; non-Qatari citizens account for the majority of the population at 85 percent, according to QSA.

An important demographic characteristic that separates Qatar, along with the UAE and Kuwait, from the rest of the world is that a large part of its population (approximately 40 percent of all inhabitants aged 18 and older) can be described as “transient labor” (Figure 3).

The majority of this transient population, largely unskilled non-Internet users, is brought primarily from South Asia to work mainly in the construction sector and other development and infrastructure.

Source: Qatar Statistics Authority, 2007

Figure 1: Demographic Statistics by Region

Figure 2: Qatar’s Population

Source: Qatar Statistics Authority, Mid-2004–2008

Key Findings

Overall, residents in Qatar have been steadily increasing their ICT adoption rate, especially in terms of basic use of ICT tools (computers and the Internet). Among the resident population (excluding the transient labor population) basic ICT indicators are comparable to European averages; basic ICT indicators are low when the transient labor population is included.

Excluding the transient labor population, Qatar posts a 63 percentage Internet penetration, among its residents 54 percentage computer users, and 120.8 percentage mobile subscribers.

A benchmark inconsistency surfaces among Qatar’s Internet users in indicators related to basic Internet usage, such as use of e-mail and search engines, and their performance in advanced Internet use, such as those related to e-banking and e-government services. While basic use indicators are comparable with their EU counterparts, Qatar’s residents’ performance in advanced use is behind that in Europe. This may partly be explained by lack of public awareness of (and conversely lack of adequate promotion of) these services, as well as lack of variety of advanced services or user-friendly services.

The cost for some key ICT services, such as broadband Internet use, remains high for the lowest income strata – the largest population segment – constituting a relatively large portion of their income.

Source: Qatar Statistics Authority, October 2008

Figure 3: General Population Statistics

The number of these workers increases or decreases from year to year depending on construction and real estate trends. Thus they impact overall population figures substantially.

Excluding this transient population when calculating ICT indicators gives a more accurate representation of Qatar’s performance vis-à-vis other markets or economies.

Thus, in this study we present two values for some indicators. One uses the total population figure, which is the standard global practice, and the other excludes the transient labor population.

Figures based on the entire population are less favorable to Qatar when compared to the figures of other countries. However, figures based on households are not impacted by transient labor since they live in temporary housing and do not count as households.

Internet User PenetrationInternet user penetration is defined as “the number of people who have accessed the Internet in the past four weeks (prior to this survey) out of the entire population;” it is measured per 100 inhabitants.

Based on the findings of the Residents Survey, Internet user penetration in Qatar as of Q3 2008 stood at 38 percent (or 63 percent when excluding the transient workforce) (Figure 4).

When this study was conducted, similar data from other countries was available only for the end of 2007. Thus Qatar’s 2007 penetration rate of 31.4 percent was used as the benchmark instead of the 2008 updated survey finding of 38 percent.

The entire population ratio for those who access the Internet in Qatar is comparable to that of Singapore, which stood at 39 percent in 2007. The Netherlands is the global leader, with 91 percent of its population using the Internet as of 2007 (Figure 5).

Broadband Internet SubscriptionsThe use of broadband Internet, which refers to data transmission over an Internet connection at a speed equal to or greater than 256kbit/s has been growing at a steady pace in Qatar.

Broadband Internet subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in Qatar were 5.4 percent of the total population (7.9 percent

Source: Residents Survey, 2008

Figure 4: Internet Penetration Among Residents (per 100 inhabitants)

Source: Madar Research, 2007; ITU, 2007 * Gulf Cooperation CouncilQatar’s Arab Rank: 3 Qatar’s World Rank: 64,

Figure 5: Benchmark of Internet Users (per 100 inhabitants)

Figure 6 Internet Broadband Subscriptions (per 100 inhabitants)

Source: Madar Research, 2007; ITU, 2007 * Gulf Cooperation CouncilQatar Arab Rank: 3, Qatar World Rank: 58,

Figure 7: Benchmark of Internet Broadband Subscriptions (per 100 inhabitants)


Residents 15


when excluding transient labor population) as of Q3 2008 (Figure 6, previous page).

Qatar’s broadband penetration of 5.3 percent at the end 2007 puts it behind the best-performing Arab nation (Bahrain), which achieved a broadband subscription penetration of 6.5 per 100 inhabitants.

Qatar is behind the EU-15 nations, where Internet broadband subscriptions had reached an estimated 23.15 per 100 inhabitants by end 2007 (Figure 7, previous page).

Computer PenetrationAnother vital ICT indicator is the number of computers installed (being used or available for use) per 100 inhabitants. Computer refers to either desktop or portable computers (laptops), but does not include personal digital assistants (PDAs) or equipment with some embedded computing abilities such as mobile phones or digital TV sets. In Qatar this indicator stood at 32.3 percent as of Q3 2008 (Figure 8).

Qatar’s performance in computer penetration is 26.3 percent, slightly lower than the UAE, the best-performing Arab nation, with a computer penetration of 26.4 percent.

Qatar is significantly lower than the world’s best-performing country, San Marino, which had 90 PCs per 100 inhabitants (2007) (Figure 9).

Mobile PenetrationThe Residents Survey revealed 98 mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants in Qatar as of Q3 2008 (Figure 10). This number rises to 121 per 100 inhabitants if subscribers from the transient unskilled workforce are excluded.

In 2007, mobile phone penetration in Qatar stood at 94.2 percent, which was lower than the GCC average of 109.8 percent, and much lower than the best-performing country (Macau), where mobile penetration already reached 165 percent as of end 2007 (Figure 11).

Televisions and Computers in HouseholdsAbout 90 percent of all households in Qatar have at least one TV set, which is not very far behind the best-performing countries in the world (Portugal, Cyprus, Greece, and Spain), where 100 percent of households have at least one TV set.

Qatar’s household TV penetration is also comparable to the

Figure 8: Computer Penetration (per 100 inhabitants)


Source: Madar Research, 2007; ITU, 2007 * Gulf Cooperation CouncilQatar Arab Rank: 2, Qatar World Rank: 31

Figure 9: Benchmark of Computer Penetration in Qatar (per 100 inhabitants)

Figure 10: Mobile Suscribers Penetration (per 100 inhabitants)


Figure 11: Benchmark of Mobile Subscribers in Qatar (per 100 inhabitants)

(Macau)

Source: Madar Research, 2007; ITU, 2007 * Gulf Cooperation CouncilQatar Arab Rank: 4, Qatar World Rank: 55

Qatar still retained a penetration level of 83 percent as of Q3 2008, significantly outperforming Finland’s 65 percent. The best-performing country in this indicator is Portugal, whose household fixed line penetration stood at 88 percent at end 2006 (Figure 14).

In terms of mobile telephone penetration, Qatar outperformed most of its counterparts, with 97.88 percent of its households owning a mobile telephone. Furthermore, the average number of mobile users in Qatar was highest among households that have more than one family.

Qatar’s penetration rate is similar to that of Iceland, the highest-performing country with a household mobile penetration rate of 98 percent. Qatar performed better in this indicator compared to the EU-15, which registered an 88 percent penetration rate (Figure 15).

Internet and Broadband in HouseholdsFor every 100 households in Qatar, 63 have Internet access, compared to 84 in Iceland, the top performer in this indicator. However, Internet access penetration among households in Qatar remains higher than the average achieved by EU-15 countries (59 per 100) (Figure 16).

Source: Household Survey, 2008; Eurostat, 2006

Figure 12: Benchmark of Households with TV (in %)


Figure 13: Benchmark of Households with Computers (in %)

EU-15 average of 97 percent (Figure 12).

Qatar registered a household PC penetration rate of 71 percent, outperforming the EU-15 average (68 percent). Iceland led this indicator in 2007, with a household PC penetration rate of 89 percent, followed by Demark, Germany, and Finland with penetration rates of 83 percent, 79 percent, and 74 percent, respectively (Figure 13).

Fixed Line and Mobile in HouseholdsPenetration of fixed telephone lines in Qatar’s households experienced a slight growth in 2007. Despite marginal growth,


Figure 14: Benchmark of Households with Fixed Telephone Lines (in %)


Figure 15: Benchmark of Households with Mobile Phones (in %)


Figure 16: Benchmark of Households with Internet Connection (in %)

Residents 1�


About 41 percent of households in Qatar use broadband Internet access compared to 46 percent in the EU-15.

Iceland once again was the top performer in this indicator with 76 percent of its households using broadband Internet access. Denmark, Finland, and Germany have comparably high usage rates at 70 percent, 63 percent, and 50 percent, respectively (Figure 17).

Internet Applications: Basic ActivitiesApproximately 37.6 percent of residents in Qatar used the Internet for e-mail purposes in the 12-month period ending Q3 2008. This ratio is considerably lower when compared to the leading benchmarked nation – Iceland – where 80 percent of individuals used the Internet for e-mail purposes.

Additionally, the EU-15 average of 52 percent is much higher than that of Qatar (Figure 18).

However, when Qatar’s transient labor population is excluded from the analysis, the percentage of residents who used the Internet for e-mail purposes over the last 12-month period in Qatar jumps to 62.7 percent.


Figure 17: Benchmark of Households with Broadband Internet Access (in %)

Source: Residents Survey, 2008; Eurostat, 2007

Figure 18: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for E-mail (in %)

Source: Source: Residents Survey, 2008; Eurostat, 2007

Figure 19: Benchmark of Residents using Internet for Leisure Purposes (in %)

In comparison, only 11.4 percent of residents in Qatar indicated having used the Internet for leisure (Figure 19).

Even though excluding transient labor yields a higher ratio – 19 percent – Qatar still ranks lower than both the EU-15 average of 35 percent and Norway at 55 percent.

Internet Applications: Research ActivitiesAbout 7.8 percent of residents in Qatar reported having used the Internet for job searches over the 12 month-period ending Q3 2008, lower than the EU-15 average of 13 percent (Figure 20).

Excluding the transient labor population raises Qatar’s score to 12.9 percent, which is very similar to Europe’s.

Some 30.4 percent of residents in Qatar have used the Internet for general research purposes.

This figure reaches 50.6 percent when excluding the transient labor population. The latter figure is slightly lower than the average EU-15 score of 52 percent in this indicator and is significantly lower than Iceland (78


Figure 20 Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for Job Search (in %)

percente), the top-performing country (Figure 21).

Residents in Qatar using the Internet to research health-related topics stand at 14.5 percent, or 24.2 percent when the transient workforce is excluded. The latter figure is nearly comparable to the EU-15 average of 27 percent. However, neither Qatar nor the EU-15 achieved parity with Finland, where nearly half of its residents reported researching health-related topics on the Internet (Figure 22).


Figure 21: Benchmark of Residents using Internet for General Research (in %)


Figure 22: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for Researching Health Topics (in %)

websites to only seek information and one percent make the access only to carry out transactions with the government, such as filling out forms or applying for documents. Those who visit government websites for both purposes – to seek information as well as to conduct transactions – constitute 11 percent of Qatar’s population.

Meanwhile, the percentage of the population accessing government websites in Denmark, the leading country in this indicator, is estimated at 58, more than three times that of Qatar.

Taking transient workers out of the population figure raises the proportion of residents accessing Qatari government websites to more than 30 percent, about the same average ratio found among EU-15 countries (Figure 24).

Only 0.4 percent of residents in Qatar (0.6 percent when excluding transient labor population) reported using the Internet for contacting and communicating with government authorities. This rate is very low compared to the EU-15 average of 34 percent (Figure 25, next page).


Figure 23: Benchmark of Residents using Internet for Online Banking (in %)


Figure 24: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for Accessing Government Websites (in %)

Internet Applications: Advanced ActivitiesUtilization of Internet banking services in Qatar is low, with about 3.9 in every 100 inhabitants using the services, or 6.5 per 100 if the transient labor population is excluded.

Both percentges are still significantly lower than Finland’s, where as many as 72 percent of residents reported using Internet banking services (Figure 23).

About 18 percent of the entire population in Qatar, which is equivalent to almost half the Internet user population, accesses Qatari government websites. According to survey findings, 6 percent of the entire population access the

Residents 1�


Figure 25: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet for Interacting with Government Authorities (in %)


Locations of Internet UseExcluding the transient labor population, 63.3 percent of residents in Qatar use the Internet from their homes, higher than the EU-15 at 51 percent. Qatar’s performance is close to that of Germany and the UK, where 64 percent of residents indicated using the Internet from home. Qatar remains behind Scandinavian countries including Iceland, the top performer with 84 percent of residents using the Internet from home (Figure 26).


Figure 26: Benchmark of Residents Using Internet from Home (in %)

Figure 27: Benchmark of Residents using Internet from Work (in %)


skills, which include using the Internet for communicating (e-mail, chat), for obtaining or downloading software, for researching and validating information, and for using the computer for processing and creating presentations and spreadsheets.

On a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 indicating no confidence in ability and seven indicating great confidence, the average score among the PC-literate population in Qatar is 6.13. However, when considering the total population of Qatar (including PC literate and non-PC-literate residents), digital literacy then falls to 2.3.

Table 1 shows the score of each skill and also displays two values. The overall average column measures the literacy level of the entire population of Qatar, while the other column displays the values among the PC-literate population. The highest confidence levels among PC users are registered in the respondents’ ability to use e-mail (6.54), to research (6.48), to use word processing software like MS Word (6.18) and to participate in chat rooms (6.18).

Table 1: Digital Literacy Scores for Residents

Source: Residents Survey. 2008 * Score on a scale of 1–7

Digital Literacy Skill

E-mail

Chat Room

Creating Personal Web Page

Downloading Software

Researching

Validating Information

Word Processing

Presentation

Spreadsheet

Average


2.6

2.3

1.8

2.2

2.5

2.3

2.4

2.3

2.3

2.3

Overall Average *

6.5

6.2

5.6

6.0

6.5

6.1

6.2

6.1

6.0

6.1

Average among PC Users *

Qatar’s performance falls behind the leading benchmark countries in terms of residents accessing Internet from work, with 23.8 percent (or 39.7 percent excluding transient labor) indicating doing so. Iceland again registered the highest performance in this indicator, with 56 percent of its residents using Internet from work, followed by Denmark (43 percent), Finland (39 percent), UK (32 percent) and Germany (30 percent) (Figure 27).

Digital LiteracyDigital Literacy is an index comprising a series of survey questions asking respondents to indicate confidence in their ability to use various forms of digital technology. The score is the average of the confidence levels on all the measured

Respondents expressed the least amount of confidence in their ability to use spreadsheets (6.0), download software (5.96), and create a personal web page (5.57).

Barriers to Internet/PC UseThe strongest barrier limiting Internet and PC use by residents in Qatar is the high cost to connect to the Internet, with 42 percent of respondents recognizing it as a barrier.

Other prominent barriers cited by residents were lack of Internet accessibility at work, lack of skills, and lack of Internet access at home (Table 2).

Reasons related to lack of Internet access at schools, lack of Internet cafes, and lack of Arabic websites were least cited among the barriers.

Table 2: Assessment of Barriers Limiting Internet/ PC Use by Residents in Qatar

Source: Residents Survey. 2008

Barrier to ICT AdoptionPercent of

Respondents

High cost of Internet connection

Internet not available at work

Lack of skills

Internet not available at home

Risk of viruses too high when using

the Internet

Maintenance cost

Technology is too complicated

Lack of trust

Not secure to do business/purchase

transactions over the Internet

Not enough websites in Arabic

Internet cafes are hard to find and reach

Internet not available at school

42.0

33.2

32.8

26.3

21.3

20.2

18.8

16.8

14.2

8.0

6.8

6.7

Chapter II: Business

Business 2�


Background This chapter assesses ICT adoption by businesses in both the private and public sectors and across major industries.

In October 2008, there were approximately 41,600 businesses in Qatar, employing 983,582 individuals. Data from 2004 shows that the number of businesses in Qatar has grown at an average rate of 12 percent and its employed population has increased by 18.8 percent annually over the past four years (Table 1).

In this study, business size is determined by the number of employees. To enable benchmark comparison as well as inter-sector analysis, businesses were grouped by both the number of companies and the number of employees in each size category as a percentage of estimated totals. Table 2 presents the percentage of businesses in Qatar by each size category. The nomenclature used for each size category, such as “super large,” is not necessarily used by the Qatar Statistics Authority, but is adopted for the purpose of this study.

A sample-weighting technique was adopted to eliminate any bias against each indicator’s value, as there are variations between the number of companies in a given size category and the total number of employees working in that category. For instance, while super large enterprises constitute less than 0.5 percent of all enterprises in Qatar, they employ more than 30 percent of all workers.

Thus, ICT usage by the employees of super large enterprises should contribute more than 30 percent to an indicator that measures employees’ ICT usage across the business sector in the country.

Source: Madar Research, Qatar Statistics Authority, 2007

Enterprises

Employees

Micro (< 10 employees)

82.7%

17.9%

Small(10–49 employees)

13.7%

20.1%

Medium(50–99 employees)

1.8%

8.8%

Large(100–499 employees)

1.5%

22.7%

Super Large (500+ employees)

0.3%

30.5%

Table 2: Distribution of Businesses and Employees in Qatar Based on Company Size

Key Findings

Micro enterprises (fewer than 10 employees) dominate the business sector by sheer number, as they constitute around 80 percent of all enterprises in Qatar. However, they employ 18 percent of the total workforce. Enterprises with more than 100 employees (large and super large companies) constitute only 1.84 percent of all companies, but they employ as much as 53 percent of Qatar’s workforce.

While Qatar’s business community has in recent years increased its ICT adoption to assume a leading position among developing countries, micro enterprises (found largely in the retail arena, catering directly to consumers) have fallen far behind in ICT adoption measurements.

They trail the rest of business-size segments in all indicators, including: e-business infrastructure, broadband Internet connectivity, web presence, and Internet utilization to interact with government agencies and financial institutions.

One-quarter of all enterprises in Qatar use advanced Internet services such as e-commerce, e-banking, and e-government services compared to an average of almost two-thirds in EU countries. While it is expected that an early Internet adoption in Europe should position EU countries ahead of Qatar in terms of advanced use, the gap may be explained by factors such as lack of ICT training of employees in advanced Internet use.

PC Usage in BusinessesPC penetration for all large and super large businesses (100 or more employees) in Qatar is at 100 percent, since they all reported using computers. A comparable PC penetration rate is recorded for small and medium businesses, at 98 percent and 99 percent, respectively. However, 60 percent of micro businesses (fewer than 10 employees) reported using computers (Table 3, next page).

Table 1: Total Number of Business Establishments and Employees in Qatar

Source: Madar Research, *Qatar Statistics Authority

24,921*

–

40,000*

41,600

12%

March 2004

October 2007

June 2008

October 2008

CAGR (2004–2008)

444,133*

827,583*

–

983,582

18.85%

No. of Employees

No. of BusinessesPeriod

Overall, the ratio of businesses that use computers in Qatar is 67 percent; 30 points less than the average found in EU-15 countries (Figure 1).

Business Network ConnectivityThe percentage of businesses in Qatar connected to the Internet is well over 90 percent for all except micro businesses, where only 41 percent reported Internet connectivity. The overall score for this indicator is 50 percent. The percentage of businesses connected to a local area network (LAN) range from a low of 16 percent among micro companies to 92 percent among super large companies (Table 4). LAN is a computer network technology designed to connect multiple computers separated by a short distance together to share information. LAN can be connected to the Internet and can also be configured as an intranet. Intranet

Figure 1: Benchmark of Businesses Using Computers (in %)

Source: Business Executive Survey, 2008; Eurostat, 2007

and extranet connections are less ubiquitous among micro to large companies, but maintain a greater presence among super large companies. Overall penetration rate for LAN, intranet and extranet in Qatar’s businesses are 23 percent, 8 percent, and 5 percent, respectively.

Figure 2 indicates that Qatar’s overall performance in businesses network connectivity is consistently lower than the average in the most developed countries, such as the EU-15.

Internet Usage by EmployeesIn Qatar not all employees who use a computer are issued an official e-mail address. For example, 43 percent of employees in large and super large companies use a computer, but only 35 percent are provided with a business e-mail address. The difference is even wider for micro-, small-, and medium-sized companies where only 36 percent of employees have a business e-mail address compared to 56 percent who use a PC.

This practice does not necessarily hinder employees from Figure 2: Benchmark of Network Connectivity

Among Businesses


Source: Business Executive Survey, 2008


% of businesses using PCs

% of employees using PCs

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

60

50

Table 3: PC Usage in Businesses

Indicator

98

64

99

49

100

52

100

36

67

49

Table 4: Business Network Connectivity



% of businesses with Internet

% of businesses with LAN

% of businesses with intranet

% of businesses with extranet

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

41

16

5

3

Indicator

93

58

19

12

99

60

22

16

100

81

39

35

99

92

71

55

50

23

8

5

Business 25


using web-based e-mail at work, as evidenced by the fact that more employees report using e-mail than having a business e-mail address (Table 5).

The number of employees using a PC, Internet, or e-mail in businesses that lie in the extreme size categories (fewer than 10 employees and 500 or more) is lower than the rest of businesses (10–499 employees). In micro businesses (fewer than 10 employees) this is due to a weak presence of PCs (only 60 percent have a PC), while the most likely explanation for a lower rate of PC and Internet usage by employees in super large enterprises (with 500 or more staff members) is that these companies tend to have larger percentages of junior employees who use computers rarely or not at all.

Speed and Type of Internet ConnectionBroadband Internet access is eclipsing the use of narrowband among businesses in Qatar, especially among the larger business-size categories. Broadband subscription is approaching saturation among large and super large businesses, where the penetration rate is close to 96 percent. Meanwhile, nearly 33 percent of micro to medium companies in Qatar have yet to shift from narrowband to broadband connectivity (Table 6).

Figure 3: Benchmark of Businesses with Broadband Connection (in %)


The overall percentage of businesses with a broadband connection is 38 percent, significantly lower than the EU-15 average of 82 percent.

ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line), which refers to fast two-way data connections over ordinary telephone lines, is by far the most common type of Internet connection among businesses in Qatar, used by 40 percent of all businesses in the country. Other types of Internet connections differ among companies of different sizes (Table 7). For example, leased lines have a penetration rate of more than 20 percent among

Table 5: Employees with Access to Internet and E-mail



% of employees using Internet

% of employees with official

e-mail address

% of employees using e-mail

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

39

24

38

Indicator

60

45

53

47

40

42

49

40

40

34

30

31

45

35

40

Table 6: Business Internet Connection Speed


% of businesses using broadband

% of businesses using narrowband

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

28.1

12.4

Internet Speed

80.7

12.5

92

8

96.7

3.3

95.2

4.7

38

12



% of businesses with ADSL

% of businesses with dial-up

% of businesses with leased line

% of businesses with other types

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

31

9

1

0

Table 7: Business Internet Connection Type

Internet Connection Type

84

5

6

5

89

9

5

2

88

1

20

2

71

5

33

6

40

8

2

1

large and super large enterprises, but the penetration is only about 5 percent among small and medium companies. Note must be taken that not all ADSL connections in Qatar are broadband as defined internationally.

Business Online ActivityEnterprises of all sizes, save those classified as micro, display consistency in terms of utilization of several basic online activities. Between 84 percent and 88 percent of small to super large companies use (send or receive) e-mail, compared to only 32 percent of micro companies. Accessing the Internet for business information shows a similar trend: between 71 percent and 85 percent of small to super large companies acknowledge using the Internet to obtain business information, compared to 27 percent of micro companies (Table 8).

Another basic use for enterprises is promoting their business over the Internet. Only 7 percent of Qatari micro companies use the Internet for promotion, whereas between 38 percent



% of businesses receiving sales

orders online

% of businesses providing customer

service and support online

% of businesses using online banking

or other financial services

% of businesses placing orders over

the Internet

% of businesses interacting with

government organizations/public

authorities online

% of businesses making online

bill payment

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

20

18

17

18

21

9

Table 9: Businesses using Internet for Advanced Activities

Advanced Online Activity

64

48

49

49

53

26

47

44

41

45

71

25

53

52

47

38

71

25

54

60

47

42

79

31

27

23

23

23

27

12



% of businesses using e-mails

% of businesses accessing

Internet for business information

% of businesses promoting

products over the Internet

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

32

27

7

Basic Online Activity

84

76

38

84

77

39

87

71

39

88

85

46

41

36

12

Table 8: Businesses Using Internet for Basic Activities

and 46 percent of companies within the small to super large categories do so.

Advanced use of the Internet is less common among all enterprises in Qatar. Small enterprises are more aggressive than their counterparts from all other sizes in e-business activities, specifically in terms of receiving or placing orders for sale of goods or services online. More than 64 percent of small enterprises receive sales orders online, compared to 47 percent of medium-sized companies, 53 percent of large companies, and 54 percent of super large companies (Table 9).

Furthermore, more than half of all small to super large companies in Qatar use the Internet to interact with government organizations and public authorities, while one-fifth (21 percent) of micro companies reported doing so.

Benchmark of Business Online ActivityOnline activities such as Internet banking, e-commerce, and interaction with public authorities are still in their early

Business 2�


adoption stage among businesses in Qatar when the EU-15 average is taken as a reference. Less than a quarter of all businesses in Qatar conduct Internet banking and e-commerce (placing or receiving orders over the Internet), compared to 83 percent and 44 percent, respectively, in the EU-15.

Additionally, 27 percent of Qatari businesses reported interacting with public authorities over the Internet compared to approximately two-thirds of businesses that do so in the EU-15 (Figure 4).

ICT Training in BusinessesOnly 1 percent of employees in large enterprises received ICT training (such as ICDL, Microsoft Office, etc.) in the 12-month period ending Q3 2008. The proportion is relatively higher among small enterprises (4.63 percent), but is less than 1 percent among micro businesses (0.44 percent).

Small businesses outperformed large and super large businesses in retaining IT staff as a percentage of total employment, with 4.99 percent of employees within small businesses specialized in IT. Due to a relatively small staff, the presence of a few IT staff in micro, small, and medium

Figure 4: Benchmark of Percentage of Businesses Conducting Advanced Online Activities


Table 10: Businesses Providing ICT Training (in past 12 months)


% of businesses that trained at least one

employee on ICT in past 12 months

% of employees that received ICT training

in past 12 months *

% of employees specialized in IT *

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

0.8

0.4

3.3

ICT Training Indicator

13.5

4.6

5.0

14.0

1.3

3.8

13.9

1.0

2.1

25.9

0.2

1.1

15.2

1.4

2.7

* calculated as % from total employees excluding unskilled labor

businesses allow them to perform better in this indicator compared to large and super large businesses (Table 10).

Enterprises with Web PresenceThe vast majority of large and super large enterprises in Qatar – 83 percent and 87 percent respectively – have a web presence (either their own website or web pages on an affiliated website). Around 60 percent of small and medium enterprises have a web presence, compared to approximately 18 percent of micro businesses. Overall, the findings show that about 26 percent of businesses in Qatar have a web presence.

Sweden has the world’s highest percentage of enterprises with a web presence (85 percent). The average score of the EU-15 is 66 percent, well ahead of Qatar’s performance in this indicator (Figure 5).

Key Factors limiting ICT Usage in Qatar“Perceived lack of benefit” emerged as the primary barrier to Qatari businesses’ use or increased use of ICT. Approximately 34 percent of all respondent businesses cited this factor as an

Figure 5: Benchmark of Percentage of Businesses with Web Presence



Table 11: Perceived Barriers to ICT Use by Businesses (in % of businesses)

Lack of benefit

Cost of Internet connection

Low level of importance on ICT

Cost of buying/renting PCs

Lack of skills

Complexity of the technology

No potential for reducing

business costs by using ICT

Security of business/purchase

transactions over the Internet

Not enough websites in mother language

Lack of trust (security/privacy)

Micro (< 10)

Small (10–49)

Medium(50–99)

Large (100–499)

Super Large (500+)

Overall

31

34

29

24

22

13

10

9

9

7

Perceived Barrier

46

23

20

19

24

14

11

9

5

13

35

28

22

11

17

11

16

15

10

17

52

12

22

8

16

8

7

6

2

6

56

11

22

2

9

8

4

8

2

2

34

32

27

23

22

13

10

9

8

8

important limitation. More than half of large and super large enterprises in Qatar recognize this apparent lack of benefit as a barrier to increasing ICT use.

This indicates lack of understanding of the role of ICT in increasing the efficiency, productivity, and profitability of

enterprises, which demonstrates the need for a widespread awareness and education campaign.

Other factors such as the “cost of Internet connection” and ‘low importance associated with ICT’ were perceived as secondary barriers (Table 11).

Chapter III: Government

Government �1


BackgroundThis chapter assesses the level of technology adoption and integration of ICT in government processes and operations in Qatar. This study covers government organizations such as ministries, councils, and authorities.

Government companies and enterprises – and their employees – are excluded from the study (Figure 1).

Civil servants or government employees comprise approximately 15 percent of the active workforce in Qatar (Figure 2). According to the Qatar Statistics Authority, Qatari nationals constitute almost 50 percentage of government staff, while non-Qatari staff, mainly of Arab, Asian and Western nationalities comprise the remaining government workforce.

Male employees working for the Qatari government outweigh female employees by almost 3 to 1, with males at 73 percentage and females at 27 percent.

Key Findings

The government has been aggressive in its ICT adoption in several areas including ICT training of staff and the ratio of PCs to employees which stands at 88.2 PCs per 100 employees.

A significant number of government services have yet to be transformed into e-services to encourage widespread use of e-government in Qatar.

The percentage of IT staff vis-à-vis total staff in the government sector is low compared to the world average.

Nevertheless, the government sector outperformed the business sector on all indicators, from the number of ICT training hours provided for employees to PC and Internet use.

Figure 2: Distribution of Employees between Government and Non-Government Sectors – October 2007

Source: Qatar Statistics Authority

Figure 1: Breakdown of Government Employees – October 2007

Source: Qatar Statistics Authority

Figure 3: Performance on UN e-Government Readiness Index

UAE World Rank: 32, Qatar World Rank: 53Source: UN e-Government Readiness Index 2008

Performance on UN e-Government IndexOverall, Qatar ranks 53rd in the UN e-Government Readiness Index in 2008 (Figure 3). This index assesses how governments are utilizing ICT to improve access to, and the use of ICT in providing information, products, and services to residents, businesses, and government entities. The United Nations e-Government Readiness Index surveyed 192 countries, 182 of which yielded findings in all three sub-indices that comprise the Index: human capital, telecommunication infrastructure, and web measure (e-services).

Internet and PC UsageThe government sector in Qatar outperformed the business sector in Internet and PC usage. PC penetration among government organizations stood at 88.2 per 100 employees,

compared to 48.9 per 100 in the business sector (Figure 4). The same observation holds for Internet user penetration at work, with the government sector performing significantly better than the business sector, at 60.7 per 100 employees to 44.7 per 100 employees (Figure 5).

The significantly higher performance of the government sector against the business sector is likely attributed to the government’s overall strategy of placing strong emphasis on leveraging ICT tools to improve operations.

ICT Professionals in GovernmentGovernment employees in Qatar specializing in IT stand at 3.2 percent of the total government workforce. In the absence of a global study that provides country-by-country data on this indicator, the world leader is not known.

A comparison of Qatar’s data with the world average published by Gartner (Measuring the Right Things presentation, Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, Cannes, France, November, 2007) shows that the percentage of IT professionals in Qatar’s total government staff is about half of the world average (Figure 6).

The low percentage (3.2 perent) of IT staff in Qatar’s government organizations relative to the global average is

Figure 4: PC Penetration in Government and Business (in %)

Source: Government Executive Survey and Business Executive Survey, 2008

Figure 5: Internet User Penetration in Government and Business ( in %)

Source: Government Executive Survey and Business Executive Survey, 2008

Figure 6: ICT Professionals as Percentage of Government Workforce

Source: Gartner, 2007; Government Executive Survey, 2008

likely due to the outsourcing of most IT services, thereby reducing the need for IT staff.

Performance on Other ICT Indicators Nearly 75 percent of government staff in Qatar have at least one PC at work, and 66.4 percent have an e-mail account issued by their organization. However, only 47.1 percent use e-mail at work. Government staff in Qatar received an average of 3.5 hours of ICT training in the 12- month period ending Q3 2008 and a longer training duration – 4.9 hours – is expected in the succeeding 12 months.

About 85.7 percent of government agencies in Qatar have automated or are in the process of automating their core processes (Table 1).


Table 1: Other e-Government Indicators

% of cyber security professionals trained or certified in

Qatar’s government organizations (from total number of IT

employees)

% of government staff with PC at work

% of government staff using e-mail at work

% of government staff with e-mail address issued by their

organization

Average number of government staff hours of ICT training in

the last 12 months

Average number of expected government staff hours of ICT

training in the next 12 months

% of government agencies with automated core processes

Organization’s satisfaction with existing G2G services

(On a scale of 1–7)

Comprehensiveness of public information available online

(On a scale of 1–7)

The government has a clear and comprehensive

implementation strategy for utilizing ICT (On a scale of 1–7)

ValueIndicator

17.8

74.7

47.1

66.4

3.5

4.9

85.7

4.0

5.0

4.9

Government ��


User satisfaction level in terms of the existing government-to-government (G2G) services is fair, scoring 3.96 on a 7-point scale. The clarity and comprehensiveness of the Qatar government’s ICT implementation strategy scores a 4.9 on a 7-point scale; the comprehensiveness of public information available online scores a 5.

Use of Government e-ServicesAround 18.4 percentage of residents (Table 2) have accessed information on government websites while 12.1 percent have made transactions on these websites during the 12-month period preceding the survey (Table 2).

Users’ satisfaction with online government transactional services registered high levels, ranging from 5.91 for “using GIS” to 6.37 for “using online post box to track mail,” on a 7-point scale (Table 3).

Value


Indicator

Table 2: Residents’ Usage of Government Online Services

% of individuals accessing government websites

for information

% of individuals who accessed Qatari government

websites for transactions in the last 12 months

18.4

12.1

*Scale: 1 - strongly disagree, 7 - strongly agreeSource: Residents Survey, 2008

Table 3: Residents’ Satisfaction Levels with Government Online Services

Applying for Smart Card

Paying bills

Using GIS

Using online post box to track mail

Using business directory

6.23

6.12

5.91

6.37

6.03

Value *e-Service

Value

Chapter IV: Education

Education ��


BackgroundThree surveys conducted with teachers, students, and school principals in all types and levels of schools in Qatar assessed ICT adoption in the K–12 education sector.

There are four types of schools in Qatar as indicated in Table 1 and Figure 1 – public schools run by the Ministry of Education (MoE); public schools, known as independent schools, run by the Supreme Education Council (SEC); private international schools; and private Arabic schools.

A majority of students – 55 percent – are in primary schools, 24 percent are in intermediate schools, and 21 percent are in high schools (Figure 2).

According to data obtained from Qatar’s Supreme Education Council, there is one teacher for every 10 students in Qatar, with the Ministry of Education schools having the best student-to-teacher ratio at 6.6 students for every teacher (Table 1).

Source: Supreme Education Council

Figure 1: Student Distribution by Type of School (2007–08)

Source: Supreme Education Council

Figure 2: Student Distribution by School Level (2007–08)

Table 1: Distribution of Students and Teachers in Schools

Source: Supreme Education Council (School Year 2007–08)

MoE (public)

International (private)

Independent (public)

Arabic (private)

Total

Number of Schools Number of Teachers Number of Students Student to Teacher Ratio

118

82

71

32

303

School Type

5,878

4,399

3,294

767

14,338

38,504

52,972

39,521

10,092

141,089

6.6

12.0

12.0

13.2

10.0

Key Findings

Qatar’s schools have an average of 12.7 PCs per 100 students, the highest in the Arab world.

The average number of PCs available for educational purposes is only 8.3 PCs per 100 students.

Independent schools have the best ratio among the four school types at 16.2 PCs per 100 students, significantly higher than the European (EU-15) average of 12.1.

Unlike the EU countries where the ICT adoption level rises as the grade level rises, Qatar follows a different pattern. For example, intermediate schools in Qatar registered a higher PC-to-student ratio and Internet connected PC-to-student ratio compared to secondary schools.

Furthermore, the PC-to-student ratio in Europe is almost 1.5 times that of Qatar and the percentage of schools with PCs in the classroom in Europe is nearly 3.5 times the percentage observed in Qatar’s schools.

Availability of PCs at SchoolsLooking at the basic level of computers available at schools, every school in Qatar has at least one PC, whether used for administrative, educational, or other purposes. In terms of the total number of PCs installed at schools per hundred students, Qatar has an average of 12.7 PCs, the highest in the Arab world (Table 2 and Figure 3, next page).

Regarding the number of PCs available for educational purposes – Qatar’s schools have an average of 8.3 PCs per 100 students.

The average ratio in the EU-15 is higher, standing at 12.1 PCs per 100 students (Figure 4). Independent schools have the best ratio among the four types of schools. The average number of computers installed at an independent school is 16.2 per 100 students – significantly higher than the EU-15 average of 12.1. A comparison between the remaining three types of schools in Qatar shows that the MoE and private Arabic schools have the lowest number of PCs per 100 students, while the private international schools performed slightly better as indicated in Table 3. Intermediate schools in Qatar have a higher number of PCs per 100 students than secondary or primary. In contrast, secondary schools in EU countries have the highest ratio (Table 4).

Distribution of PCs at Various Locations in SchoolsComputer laboratories have been the traditional location for students’ PC use. However, efforts to integrate PCs in the educational process are shifting the emphasis to the classroom.

The independent schools have emphasized increasing the frequency and intensity of ICT use in education since their inception in 2004. In 2008, 46.5 percent of independent schools have installed PCs in classrooms. International schools follow, with 19.6 percent of them using computers in classrooms.

The rate is lower in MoE and private Arabic schools, where less than 9 percent of schools use computers for learning in classrooms.

Overall, Qatar’s schools are behind almost all European countries in using PCs in the classroom, while there are more schools in Qatar using PCs in computer labs than in Europe (Table 5).

Figure 4: Benchmark of Number of PCs Dedicated to Learning at Schools (per 100 Students)

Table 3: Number of PCs Dedicated to Learning(per 100 Students) in schools of different types

International

Arabic

Independent

MoE

Average

Number of PCs per 100 students

6.5

4.2

16.2

5.8

8.3

School Type

Source: School Executive Survey, 2008

Table 4: Benchmark of Number of PCs Dedicated to Learning(per 100 Students) at Different Levels of Schools

Sources: Benchmarking Access & Use of ICT in European Schools 2006, EU Information Society Report on Lisbon Strategy 2010 (2006), *School Executive Survey 2008 (Qatar)

Primary

Intermediate

High School

Qatar*

8.9

12.7

8.5

10.2

11.8

16.8

18.6 (Denmark)

25 (UK)

37.3 (Denmark)

EU-15 Best in EU School Level

Source: EuroStat 2007, School Executive Survey 2008

Sources: 1 School Executive Survey, 2008 2 Profile of the Information Society - Kingdom of Bahrain - 2003, UNESCWA 3 Regional Profile of the Information Society in Western Asia - 2007, UNESCWA 4 Madar Research, 2008 5 Regional Profile of the Information Society in Western Asia - 2007, UNESCWA

Qatar

Bahrain

Jordan

UAE

Syria

PCs per 100 Students

12.7 1

5.2 2

5.0 3

4.0 4

1.2 5

Country

Table 2: Arab Benchmark of All PCs at School (per 100 Students)

Figure 3: Arab Benchmark of All PCs at School (per 100 Students)

Source: UNESCWA, Madar Research and School Executive Survey 2008

Sources: Benchmarking Access & Use of ICT in European Schools 2006, EU Information Society Report on Lisbon Strategy 2010 (August 2006), *School Executive Survey 2008

Table 5: Benchmark of Location of PCs Dedicated to Learning within Schools

Computer Labs

Classrooms

School Library

Other Locations

Qatar * EU-15 Denmark

92.1

19.7

31.2

18.7

Location of PCs

77.5

68.2

32.7

28.5

90.6

71.5

71.0

76.1

UK

79.3

95.0

49.4

31.5

Percentage of All Schools

Education ��


Network Connectivity in SchoolsThe majority of schools in Qatar – 72.5 percent – are connected to the Internet. This compares with 96.5 percent Internet connectivity among EU-15 schools in 2007 (Figure 5).

Schools in Qatar are almost on par with the EU-15 in terms of local area network (LAN) implementation. LAN is a computer network technology designed to connect multiple computers separated by a short distance together to share information. A LAN can be connected to the Internet and can also be configured as an intranet. Of all schools in Qatar, 52.7 percent are connected to a LAN, compared with 54.1 percent for the EU-15 countries (Figure 6).

An equal percentage (35 percentage) of MoE and private Arabic schools has LAN connectivity. Independent and international schools are better equipped, with 90.1 percent and 58.9 percent, respectively, using LAN. Independent schools outrank schools in Denmark, which have the highest rate of LAN use.

Figure 5: Benchmark of Internet Connectivity in Schools


Figure 6: Benchmark of LAN Connectivity in Schools


Internet-Connected PCs at SchoolsAccording to the School Executive Survey 2008, Independent schools have 13.4 Internet-connected PCs per 100 students, higher than the EU-15 average of 10.6 (in 2006) (Table 6 and Figure 7).

The number of Internet-connected PCs per 100 students in all school in Qatar, however, is lower than that of the EU-15.

Table 7: Internet-connected PCs (Dedicated to Learning) per 100 Students in Schools of Various Levels

Sources: Benchmarking Access & Use of ICT in European Schools 2006, EU Information Society Report on Lisbon Strategy 2010 (2006), * School Executive Survey 2008

Primary

Intermediate

High

Qatar* EU-15 Best in EU

5.9

8.3

6.9

School Level

8.2

10.7

12.4

17.9 (Denmark)

23.4 (UK)

37.2 (Denmark)

Table 6: Internet-connected PCs (Dedicated to Learning) per 100 Students in Schools of Different Types

International

Arabic

Independent

MoE

Average

No. of Internet-connected PCs per 100 students

5.3

2.9

13.4

2.5

5.9

School Type

Source: School Executive Survey 2008

Figure 7: Benchmark of Internet Connected PCs (Dedicated for Learning)per 100 Students in Schools


Speed and Type of Internet ConnectivityAbout 37.1 percent of schools in Qatar utilize ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), compared to 13.9 percent that use leased lines to connect to the Internet. ADSL, which refers to two-way data connections over ordinary telephone lines, is used most by international schools (75 percent), while leased lines are utilized most by independent schools (38 percent).

Figure 8: Benchmark of Broadband Connectivity at Schools


Schools that use dial-up Internet connection in Qatar are in the minority, accounting for 8.2 percent. The highest rate of use noted is among MoE schools (15.4 percent) and the lowest among independent schools (1.4 percent). In comparison, about 5.4 percent of schools in the EU-15 used dial-up connection in 2007.

The percentage of independent and private international schools in Qatar with broadband Internet connection in 2008 – 87.3 percent and 82.1 percent respectively (Table 8) – is higher than the EU-15 average in 2007. However, the average for all schools in Qatar is 58.5 percent, lower than the EU-15 average (Figure 8).

PC and Internet Use by Teachers and StudentsA higher percentage of teachers in Qatar use a PC or the Internet than students, whether for educational or other purposes (Table 9). Meanwhile, the average number of total hours students in Qatar spend on the Internet per week is 13.7, with more than twice as much time spent for personal purposes, such as chatting or downloading software, than for educational purposes (Table 10).

Table 11: Comparison of Digital Literacy among Students, Teachers, and Residents

Qatar’s Residents

Students

Teachers

Segment of Qatar’s Population Average

(on a scale of 1–7)

2.29

4.31

4.99

Figure 9: Percentage of Schools with Website


Percentage Using PCs *

Percentage Using Internet *

TeachersIndicator

98.7

92.4

Students

93.4

88.9

Source: Educational (Teacher and Student) Survey * At least once a month

Table 9: Percentage of Teachers and Students Using PCs and Internet

Source: Student Survey, 2008

Table 10: Students’ Internet Usage (in hours per week)

Educational Purposes

Personal Purposes

Total

4.4

9.3

13.7

Purpose No. of Hours per Week

Digital LiteracyDigital literacy is defined as having the minimum level of proficiency in using main PC applications (such as word processor and spreadsheet) and basic Internet functions such as e-mail and search engines. More than half of all students in Qatar, 55 percent, have the skills that qualify them to be considered “digitally literate.” Digital literacy is higher among teachers at 65 percent (Table 11).

Table 8: Broadband Internet Connectivity at Schools of Different Types

Source: School Executive Survey 2008

International

Arabic

Independent

MoE

Average

Percentage of Schools with Broadband Connection

82.1

41.3

87.3

37.2

58.5

School Type

Schools’ Web PresenceAn estimated 39.8 percent of all schools in Qatar own a website, with independent schools registering the highest website penetration at 76.1 percent, followed by international schools at 57.1 percent.

In contrast, 62.2 percent of all schools in the EU-15 countries have a website, and almost all schools – 99 percent in Denmark, the world’s best-performing country in this indicator, have a website (Figure 9).

Education 41


ICT Training for TeachersLess than half of all teachers in Qatar’s schools – 44 percent – received any form of ICT training in the 12 months ending by the end of school year 2007-2008. The training focused on International Computer Driving License course (ICDL), which enables teachers to use all basic applications and programs on a computer such as a word processor or spreadsheet. Among the teachers who received training in ICDL, the average number of training hours they completed on the course in the 12-month period was reported at about 19. This was followed by training on MS Office, averaging at 11 hours, Internet training (7 hours), and intranet (3.7 hours), while pedagogical ICT training averaged at 6 hours (Figure 10).

Source: Teacher Survey 2008

Figure 10: Average Number of Hours Received by Teachers for each Type of ICT Training over –12 Month Period

Chapter V: Health

Health 45


* Source: Qatar Statistics Authority, 2007** Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2007

BackgroundThis chapter assesses ICT adoption by healthcare professionals in various private and government hospitals, health centers, and clinics in Qatar. Three hundred seventy-five physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals participated in a field survey.

Data gathered from the residents’ survey relating to individuals’ use of the Internet for health-related purposes as well as an online survey of healthcare websites and services complemented the field survey.

Qatar’s private and public healthcare sectors include more than 270 hospitals, clinics, and health centers (excluding dental clinics), according to the Qatar Statistics Authority.

Complete and updated statistics on the number of healthcare professionals working in Qatar were not available by the time this study was completed. However, a QSA report indicates the government public healthcare sector employed about 9,524 health professionals as of 2007. The number of physicians in the private healthcare sector is 1,421 according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2007 (Table 1).

Table 1: Number of Health Professionals in Qatar

Physicians/Medical Doctors

Dentists

Pharmacists

Nurses

Other Health Professionals

Total Health Professionals

Government Sector *

Private Sector **Profession

1,775

173

442

5,558

1,576

9,524

1, 421

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a_

* As percentage of total number of physicians and nurses working for each facilitySource: Health Professionals Survey, 2008

Health Centers

Private Clinics

Private Hospitals

Government Hospitals

Physicians* Nurses*Health Facility

94.7%

53.3%

94.3%

95.0%

Table 2: Professionals with Internet Access at Work

77.8%

12.0%

24.1%

78.7%

Figure 1: Health Professionals with Internet Access at Work (in %)

Source: Health Professionals Survey, 2008

Overall, nearly 70 percent of health professionals in Qatar have Internet access at work. A significantly higher percentage of physicians and allied health professionals have access to the Internet than nurses do (Figure 1).

Internet AccessThis study indicates that government hospitals provide better ICT infrastructure to healthcare professionals than privately run clinics and hospitals: about 95 percent of all physicians and 78 percent of nurses have Internet connection at work in government hospitals.

Health centers are just as well equipped as they provide 95 percent of physicians and 78 percent of nurses with Internet access. In comparison, slightly more than half of physicians and 12 percent of all nurses employed by private clinics have Internet access at their workplace (Table 2).

Key Findings

The government-run health sector in Qatar is better equipped to provide ICT tools and infrastructure than privately run facilities. All told, nearly 70 percent of health professionals in Qatar have Internet access at work.

Of Qatar’s healthcare providers, 15.6 percent have health-related websites and only 3.1 percent offer transactional services – compared to a community of healthcare professionals and residents who are proficient in Internet use. This suggests that Qatar focus on e-health services to link patients with healthcare providers and services.

Nearly 76 percent of physicians in Qatar were connected to an online health professionals’ network as of Q3 2008. Comparatively, 57 percent of nurses and 70 percent of allied health professionals were connected to such networks.


About 89 percent of health centers in Qatar are connected to the Internet, with government hospitals following closely at 87 percent. In comparison, 34 percent of all private clinics in Qatar have Internet access (Figure 2).

Online PresenceOut of a random list of 160 healthcare providers contacted in this study, 15.6 percent had websites. Of these websites, only 20 percent (equivalent to 3.1 percent at overall level) provided transactional capabilities in the form of search options, newsletter subscriptions, and downloadable forms (Figure 3). No health-related websites were found to offer e-commerce services in Qatar although there are a few websites that offer information about their products and services or a facility to view appointments online.

Figure2: Percentage of Healthcare Facilities Providing InternetAccess to Staff


Figure 3: Percentage of Healthcare Providers withWebsite/Transactional Services

Source: Health Web Survey, 2008

Use of Healthcare PortalsAs of Q3 2008, about 76 percent of physicians in Qatar were connected to an online health professionals’ network such as a health practitioner’s network or healthcare portal, whether local, regional or international. In comparison, 57 percent of nurses and 70 percent of allied health professionals were connected to such networks (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Percentage of Healthcare Professionals Connected toHealthcare Portals


Among healthcare professionals who were not connected to a healthcare network, 41 percent cited having no time for it, 25 percent said they were not aware of any networks or portals, and 15 percent indicated that they saw no potential benefit or value from using them. The rest cited technical or functional difficulties as well as lack of participation by their colleagues or patients.

ICT TrainingOverall, about 15 percent of all health professionals in Qatar received ICT training in the 12-month period ending in Q3 2008. Approximately 23 percent of nurses received ICT training, compared to 7.4 percent of physicians and 6 percent of allied health professionals. On average, nurses in Qatar reported receiving 47.7 hours of ICT training in the past 12 months, compared to only 36.4 hours received by physicians (Table 3).

Table 3: ICT Training of Health Professionals

Physicians

Nurses

Allied

Overall

7.4%

23.0%

6.0%

14.7%

36.4

47.7

9

44.84

Health Professionals

Received ICT Training

Average No. of Training Hours (in past 12 months)

End Users of Online Health ServicesAround 38 percent of all residents in Qatar (or 63 percent when excluding the transient labor population) use the Internet. This constitutes a large pool of potential users of future online health services, especially since as many as 14.45 percent of all residents in Qatar (24 percent when excluding transient workforce) already search the Internet for health-related information, according to the Residents Survey findings.

Chapter VI: Tourism

Tourism 4�


BackgroundThis study assesses ICT adoption in the tourism sector from two perspectives: visitors (tourists and those traveling for business); and service providers (tourism agencies, hotels, recreation clubs, etc.). A field survey of each group was conducted, as well as a web-based survey of tourism-related websites (Appendix).

Between 2004 and 2006, the number of visitors to Qatar increased by up to 113 percent. The goal is to raise this number by an additional 1.5 million by 2010. International air arrivals into Qatar in 2003 stood at 283,287, with the majority from Asia and Europe. Statistics for 2006 show that 446,507 passengers arrived in Qatar by air (Figure 1).

Web PresenceNearly 67 percent of 51 tourism companies surveyed have a web presence. Of those 34 companies with a web presence, 22 (64.7 percent) offer content in a language other than Arabic, and five (14.7 percent) provide a multi-lingual website (Arabic and at least one other language).

Three companies (8.8 percent) have a presence limited to pages on another entity’s website, while four (11.8 percent) have websites only in Arabic (Figure 2). Specifically, 70 percent of hotels, 58.3 percent of travel agencies, and 85.7 percent of sports/recreation centers reported a presence on the web.

Figure 1: Annual Number of Visitors to Qatar

Source: Qatar Tourism Authority

Table 1: Number of Hotels in Qatar, 2008

Five Star

Four Star

Three Star

Two Star

One Star

Tourist Apartment

11

10

18

9

3

6+*

Source: Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA), 2007, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA)* Only 6 were listed on QTA website

Hotel Class Number

Source: Qtel Online Directory, 2008

Travel Agents

Sports/Recreation Clubs

97

39

Table 2: Number of Travel Agencies and Recreational Clubs in Qatar, 2008

Category Number

Figure 2: Percentage of Tourism Companies with Web Presence

Source: Tourism Executive Survey Survey, 2008

Key Findings

A minority of visitors utilized Qatar-based websites to look for travel and recreation information in Qatar. This indicates a probable weakness in availability and visibility of reliable multi-lingual websites providing comprehensive, accurate, and helpful information for visitors.

Most visitors to Qatar are ICT literate. The majority of visitors are business professionals who require easy and reliable access to the Internet for information and communication purposes while in Qatar. Yet, despite increased ICT adoption in Qatar’s tourism industry, 10 percent of hotels do not offer Internet access to guests.

Meanwhile, the hotel industry embarked on major expansion plans to meet the demand. According to The Report: Qatar 2008 by Oxford Business Group, there were approximately 7,000 hotel rooms and tourist apartments in 2007; by 2012, capacity is set to triple to 26,000 rooms. In 2009 alone, the report expects 6,000 extra rooms to be added to the hotel capacity.

According to the Qatar Statistics Authority there were 11 five-star, 10 four-star, and 18 three-star hotels in Qatar in 2008. At least 10 new hotels are under development (Table 1).

Most of these websites (77.1 percent) do not have the capability for completing forms or conducting transactions; 17 percent allow form completion, and 5.7 percent offer full transactional capabilities, including payment facility (Figure 3).

Web Presence of Sports and Recreation clubsA transactional website, as defined by the United Nations, is one that allows two-way interaction and can be used to acquire goods or services with the support of electronic forms that require user registration or electronic payment. Based on this definition, four essential criteria were used to identify the number of sports club websites in Qatar that are transactional.

Websites that met at least three of the four forms and/or criteria (registration, searchable database, online forms and/or online payment channel) were classified as transactional. Out of 39 sports clubs operating in Qatar, 38 percent have websites (Figure 4). Of these, 33 percent were in Arabic. Overall, 15.3 percent of the websites were considered

transactional after meeting at least three of the four criteria outlined above. These websites offered a multitude of features, such as newsletter subscriptions, downloadable wallpapers, SMS news alerts, online polls, and video clips.

Internet Access for Hotel GuestsApproximately 90 percent of hotels in Qatar offer Internet access to guests or customers (Figure 5), while less than half of all sports and recreation clubs offer guests Internet access.

Source: Tourism Web Survey, 2008

Figure 3: Percentage of Websites That Are Transactional

Figure 4: Percentage of Sports and Recreation Clubs with Websites

Source: Tourism Web Survey, 2008

Source: Tourism Executive Survey, 2008

Figure 5: Percentage of Hotels Providing Internet Access to Guests


Figure 6: Type of Internet Access Provided to Guests (percentage breakdown)


Figure 7: Speed of Internet Access Provided to Guests

Tourism 51


Two-thirds of the hotels that offer Internet access to guests provide the service in rooms as well as a central location, such as a business center. The remaining third offer the service only in hotel rooms.

The most common type of Internet connection provided to guests/customers is ADSL (57.1 percent), followed by leased line (33.1 percent) (Figure 6, previous page). An estimated 71 percent of hotels that provide Internet access use narrowband connection (delivering speeds less than 256kbit/s), while the remainder offer higher speeds or broadband (Figure 7, previous page).

Approximately 76 percent of the hotels that offer Internet do so free-of-charge, while the rest charge for use.

ICT TrainingAn estimated 23.5 percent of companies in Qatar’s tourism sector provided any form of ICT training to their staff in the 12-month period ending Q3 2008 (Figure 8). The training ranged from ICDL (International Computer Driving License) to other courses relevant to the industry, such as training in global reservation systems.

The percentage of staff who received ICT training out of

Table 3: Percentage of Tourism Companies that Provided ICT Training to their Staff (in past 12 months)

Source: Tourism Executive Survey , 2008

Category of Tourism Company

Hotels/ Resorts

Travel Agencies

Sports Clubs

Overall

15

33

0

24

% of Companies


Figure 8: Percentage of Tourism Companies Providing ICT Training toEmployees

the total number of employees recorded in the sample was 5.1 percent, and the average hours of ICT training for each employee was 5.5. About 33 percent of travel agencies provided some form of ICT training to their employees over the past 12 months, while 15 percent of hotels provided training during the same period (Table 3). Internet Access and Usage by VisitorsApproximately 13 percent of visitors searched for travel or recreational information using Qatar-based websites before visiting Qatar. That means the remaining 86.4 percent of visitors did not use a Qatar-based website to plan their trip. Fourteen percent used non-Qatar websites for the same purpose. Meanwhile, 3 percent of visitors searched for travel information using both Qatari and non-Qatari websites (Figure 10).

Approximately 95 percent of all visitors said they used the Internet during their stay in Qatar. Of these visitors, 98 percent used a PC, sometimes in combination with one or more devices such as a mobile phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) to connect to the Internet. The remaining two

Source: Visitors Survey, 2008

Figure 9: Percentage of Visitors Accessing Internet While in Qatar

Figure 10: Percentage of Visitors Using Internet for Gathering Information on Qatar (in past 12 months)


percent accessed the Internet using non-PC devices only.

Of the total visitors who accessed the Internet while in Qatar, about 20 percent used a mobile phone and another 11.7 percent used a PDA (Figure 11).

Locations and Reasons for Accessing Internet The most common location for visitors to access the Internet in Qatar is the airport (67.1 percent), while the least common option was public locations (3.7 percent), such as iParks or coffee shops (Figure 12).

More than 89 percent of visitors accessed the Internet for personal reasons while in Qatar (using e-mail, doing information searches, or general browsing). Approximately 69 percent used the Internet for professional purposes, such as office e-mail.

About 5 percent of visitors accessed the Internet while in Qatar to look for information about businesses in the country; about 3 percent used the Internet to conduct online banking, and another 3 percent did so to search for information about tourist activities or leisure centers in Qatar, such as hotels,

Figure 11: Devices Used by Visitors to Access Internet in Qatar


restaurants, or sports clubs. Finally, 1 percent indicated using the Internet to access government services and 2 percent stated that they searched for information about government organizations in Qatar.

Figure 12: Locations Where Visitors Accessed Internet in Qatar


Figure 13: Reasons for Visitors Accessing Internet While in Qatar


Chapter VII: ICT Workforce

ICT Workforce 55


BackgroundIncreasing ICT adoption in Qatar will require a workforce specialized in important ICT skills needed to develop, install, and service ICT infrastructure, systems, and solutions. The purpose of this section of the study is to assess current and future supply and demand for ICT professionals in key specializations and positions. This will help Qatar’s universities plan and develop future ICT-related programs, and assist policy makers in planning.

The study relied on information gathered from two primary surveys, as well as secondary research and web-based surveys of ICT-related courses offered by universities in Qatar and other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries.

The first primary survey – the HR Executive Survey – targeted human resources executives working in a variety of companies. The purpose was to measure demand for ICT-qualified employees.

The second survey – the Recruitment Executive Survey –included interviews with managers within recruitment agencies. The managers provided expert opinions about the supply of ICT-skilled employees in Qatar and the rest of the GCC.

According to the Qatar Statistics Authority, 827,583 people were employed in Qatar as of 2007 (Labor Force Survey, 2007). Qatar’s 2004 census indicates that the active workforce totaled 444,133 (Table 1). Calculations based on the two figures show that between 2004 and 2008, the workforce in Qatar witnessed a compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 18.85 percent, a finding confirmed by the results of the Recruitment Survey.

Therefore, Qatar’s workforce as of October 2008 is estimated at 983,582 (Table 2).

A separate survey – the Business Executive Survey – indicates that 2.74 percent of the total workforce (excluding

Table 1: Growth in Labor Force (2004–2008)

Source: *Qatar Statistics Authority, Madar Research

Mar-04

Mar-05

Mar-06

Mar-07

Oct-07

Oct-08

Date

444,133*

527,852

627,352

745,608

827,583*

983,582

No. of Employees

Key Findings

Demand for ICT professionals in Qatar outweighs local supply several folds. However, this shortage in local supply is not expected to pose a major challenge. Qatar is expected to continue attracting ICT workers due to the country’s rise as a regional business hub and its ability to withstand the global economic downturn.

While workers possessing most ICT skills are available for Qatari employers to recruit, the challenge lies in ensuring optimal use of these skills and enhancing them to ensure increased productivity and operational efficiency. These results are the main drivers for institutional use of ICT.

An issue that needs to be addressed is an increasing challenge facing fresh graduates from local universities who are competing for jobs. While it is in Qatar’s interest to see that all students from local universities with ICT specialization find placement in the Qatari market upon graduation, it may become more difficult for them to compete with the large pool of expatriate ICT professionals in the country. The global economic downturn is causing layoffs in the region and freeing ICT manpower. This should pressure local universities to raise the standards for academic training in ICT fields in order to give local graduates an edge over regional candidates.

unskilled transient labor) represents ICT employees; equal to 13,438 as of October 2008. Table 2 provides sequential details on the calculation of ICT employees vis-à-vis total workforce population in Qatar.

Table 2: Estimation of ICT Employees in Qatar

827,583*

18.85%

155,999

983,582

1,541,130*

1,232,904

493,162

490,420

2.74%

13,438

Source:* Qatar Statistics Authority, Business Executive Survey 2008, Madar Research

Total employees – October 2007

Growth rate

Employees added in 2008

Total employees – October 2008

Qatar population – October 2008

18+ age group population (80%)

Estimated number of transient laborers

(40% of 18+ population)

Total employees

(excluding transient labor) = 983,582 – 493,162

ICT employees as a percentage of total employees

Number of ICT employees – October 2008

Variable Value

ICT Workforce Growth (2008–2011)At best, the ICT workforce in Qatar could grow annually at a compound average rate of 18.8 percent over 2008–2011, which is consistent with the growth that has been observed in the entire working population in recent years. Such growth would mean an additional 2,533 ICT employees in the skilled workforce of Qatar by October 2009, bringing the total number of ICT employees in the country to approximately 15,971.

However, the current global economic crisis could result in firms opting to hire staff more conservatively than during growth years, as is customary during economic downturns. Furthermore, Qatar’s overall population growth already showed signs of decelerating during the second half of 2008, according to the Qatar Statistics Authority.

A conservative estimate of about 10 percent CAGR should be applied in the Qatari market over the medium term (until 2011), as shown in Figure 1. This would bring an additional supply of 1,344 ICT employees by October 2009.

The start of operation of a new telecom provider, Vodafone, in Qatar, scheduled for Q2 2009, will contribute to the creation of new positions for ICT professionals in 2009, and may be a factor in slightly raising the 10 percent forecast growth rate.

ICT Workforce Demand and SupplyThe local supply of ICT-qualified employees (graduates from Qatar-based universities, whether Qatari or expatriate) was determined by the number of graduates with computer science and math degrees in 2007; primarily the 140 who graduated from Qatar University in 2007. (Several universities or colleges other than Qatar University currently offer ICT-

Figure 2: Demand – New ICT Positions Expected in 2009 for Experienced Professionals and Fresh Graduates (including those with less than two

years of experience)

Source: Madar Research–based on data from QSA and field surveys

Source: Madar Research–based on data from QSA and field surveys

Figure 1: Forecasted Growth of Qatar’s ICT Workforce

related degrees. However, since they began their ICT course offerings in 2005 or later, they have not produced graduates as of 2007).

In 2008, the number of ICT graduates is expected to have risen to 180. Given this scenario, there still remains a gap between the expected demand and local supply of ICT-qualified professionals in Qatar in 2009, and most likely in the years ahead.

The expected demand for 1,344 new ICT positions in 2009 is broken down to 1,096 openings for experienced professionals (with an experience of two years or more) and 248 for fresh graduates and professionals with less than two years of experience (Figure 2).

Assuming all recent ICT graduates from local universities seek jobs in Qatar, they would fill 72 percent (or 180) of the new openings expected in 2009 for fresh graduates (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Supply for new ICT Positions Expected in 2009

Source: Madar Research - based on data from QSA and field surveys

Distribution of ICT Workforce per Job CategoryFindings from the HR Executive Survey indicate that IT managers account for 17.9 percent of total ICT professionals,

ICT Workforce 5�


IT Manager

IT Business Analyst

IT Customer Support Officer

System Integrator

System/Network/Web Administrator

Database Administrator

IT Sales Representative

Telecommunications Technician

Multimedia Specialist/Web Developer

Telecommunications Technical Officer

IT Security Specialist

Quality Assurance Specialist

IT Trainer

Grand Total

IT Position(Junior or Senior)

2,651

1,931

1,921

1,777

1,220

1,133

912

701

644

547

499

451

394

14,782

Total(By October 2009)

Source: HR Executive and Recruitment Executive Surveys, 2008; * Growth (10%) between November 2008 and October 2009

Expected Additional Demand in 2009 *

241

176

175

162

111

103

83

64

59

50

45

41

36

1,344

Note: Figures are rounded and so may not add to the totals shown

Table 3: Breakdown of Current and Expected ICT Positions in Qatar for All Levels of Experience (Junior and Senior)

Percentage(2008)

17.9

13.1

13.0

12.0

8.3

7.7

6.2

4.7

4.4

3.7

3.4

3.1

2.7

100%

Currently Employed(October 2008)

2,410

1,755

1,746

1,615

1,109

1,030

830

637

585

498

454

410

358

13,438

Table 4: Breakdown of Current and Expected ICT Positions for Junior Candidates (including Fresh Graduates)

IT Business Analyst

System Integrator

IT Manager

System/Network/Web Administrator

Database Administrator

Multimedia Specialist/Web Developer

IT Trainer

IT Customer Support Officer

IT Sales Representative

Telecommunications Technician

Quality Assurance

IT Security Specialist

Telecommunications Technical Officer

Grand Total

Junior Level IT Position

528

422

268

240

211

173

173

173

154

144

106

96

29

2,717

Total(By October 2009)

Expected Additional Demand in 2009 *

Percentage(2008)

480

384

244

218

192

157

157

157

140

131

96

87

26

2,469

Currently Employed(October 2008)

19.44

15.55

9.88

8.83

7.78

6.36

6.36

6.36

5.67

5.31

3.89

3.52

1.05

100%

48

38

24

22

19

16

16

16

14

13

10

9

3

248

whereas IT business analysts represent a lower share of 13.1 percent (Table 3).

ICT professionals with work experience of two years or more represent 82 percent of the total ICT workforce in Qatar.

The remaining 18 percent includes those with shorter (less than two years) professional work experience, including university graduates who just joined the ICT workforce.

Tables 3 and 4 show the breakdown of both current and expected positions for experienced professionals and recent graduates.

Most Sought ICT Skill SetsBased on the two primary surveys’ findings, employees qualified with ERP (enterprise resource planning) and CRM (customer relationship management) skills are the hardest to recruit (regardless of duration of experience), followed by

Source: HR Executive and Recruitment Executive Surveys, 2008; * Growth (10%) between November 2008 and October 2009Note: Figures are rounded and so may not add to the totals shown

those with IT security skills. In comparison, employees with IT quality assurance and IT security skills are most sought by large enterprises, followed by IT management skills (Tables 5 and 6).

A more detailed analysis likewise shows that candidates with less than two years of experience in ERP/CRM – particularly for software platforms SAP, Siebel, and Oracle – are hardest to find (Table 7). Also difficult to hire are people with three security-related skills: risk management, CISSP and PKI. All six of these skills scored above 55 points out of 100 – the highest level of difficulty in sourcing a given skill set.

The same skill sets also appear to be in scarce supply for those with more than two years of experience. Table 8 shows 18 other skill sets for which demand exceeded the supply of professionals with more than two years of experience.

Source: HR and Recruitment Executive Surveys, 2008

1

2

3

4

5

Ranking

ERP/CRM

IT Security Specialists

Internet/ Networking Specialist

Software Engineering

Database Specialist

Table 5 : Top 5 ICT Jobs Rated as Most Difficult to Recruit in Qatar

Position

Table 7: Top ICT Skills Rated as Most Sought (Highest Demand) in Qatar


1

2

3

4

5

6

Ranking

SAP

Siebel

Risk Management

Oracle

CISSP

PKI

Less than 2 Years of Experience Classification

ERP/CRM

ERP/CRM

Security

ERP/CRM

Security

Security

1

2

3

4

5

Ranking

IT Quality Assurance

IT Security Specialists

IT Managers

Multimedia Specialist/Web Developers

IT Trainer

Position

Table 6: Top 5 ICT Jobs Rated as Most Sought (Highest Demand) in Qatar


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Ranking

Table 8: Top ICT Jobs Rated as Most Sought (Highest Demand) in Qatar

More than 2 Years of Experience Classification

Software

Security

Software

ERP/CRM

Networking

ERP/Database

Software

Database

Database

Software

Software

Networking

Classification RankingMore than 2 years of Experience

IBM DB2

SAP

Java

Siebel

Risk Management

e-Commerce Security

Delphi

CORBA

PKI

Java Script

Power Builder

CISSP

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

COBOL

Network Security

.Net Technologies

Great Plains

J2EE

Oracle

Progress Software

Sybase SQL Server

Data Warehousing

C++

Powerhouse

SNA

Source: HR Executive and Recruitment Executive Surveys, 2008

The majority of these skills fall under the category of software engineering–related skills like Java, Delphi, and PowerBuilder. In total, these 24 skill sets fall under four broad job classifications namely, security, ERP/CRM, database and Internet (or networking).

Database

ERP/CRM

Software

ERP/CRM

Security

Security

Software

Networking

Security

Software

Software

Security

Appendix

Appendix 61


Field Surveys

Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2009 Report was based on 13 field surveys, which produced a total of more than 4,800 interviews conducted from mid-June 2008 to mid-October 2008, mostly by face-to-face interviews, supplemented by telephone interviews and self-administered questionnaires. Various sampling procedures were used depending on the nature of each survey, from census to random selection, stratified or structured, in order to achieve demographics that mirror the population targeted by each survey. The surveys and their respective samples were as follows:

Residents1. Residents Survey: 1,182 residents of Qatar 2. Household Survey 800 homes

Education3. Schools Survey: 294 school principals4. Teachers Survey: 4105. Students Survey: 380

Tourism6. Visitors Survey: 368 business, tourism, and other visitors7. Tourism Executive Survey: 51 companies

ICT Workforce8. HR Executive Survey: 300 companies9. Recruitment Executive Survey: 16 interviews with experts

in ICT-related recruitment

Other Surveys10. Business Executive Survey: 532 companies11. Government Executive Survey: 28 mainstream government

entities12. Health Executive Survey: 375 physicians, nurses, and

allied healthcare professionals13. Executive Opinion Survey: 44 business and community

leaders and senior executives

ICT Training Includes all training on the use of computers and related hardware, software, PC applications, and systems. It can be basic (such as International Computer Driving License training or how to use MS Office, etc.) or advanced (such as network management training). The training may be received from ICT-related workshops, seminars, or courses – whether such training is carried out in-house, in training institutions, or other locations.

Indicator An indicator is a quantitative or qualitative measure derived from a series of observed facts that can reveal relative position in a given area and, when measured over time, can point out the direction of change. In the context of policy analysis at national and international levels, indicators are useful in identifying trends in performance and policies and drawing attention to particular issues. There are basically three levels of indicator groupings, according to OECD’s (Office of Economic Development) Measuring the Information Economy:

1) Individual indicator sets represent a menu of separate indicators or statistics. This can be seen as a first step in stockpiling existing quantitative information.

2) Thematic indicators are individual indicators that are grouped together around a specific area or theme. This approach requires identifying a core set of indicators that are linked or related in some way. They are generally presented individually rather than synthesized in a composite.

3) Composite indicators are formed when thematic indicators are compiled into a synthetic index and presented as a single composite measure.

Internet Users A growing number of countries are measuring this through regular surveys. Surveys usually indicate a percentage of the population for a certain age group (e.g., 15–74 years old). Based on the definition of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the number of Internet users in this age group should be supplied and not the percentage of Internet users in this age group multiplied by the entire population. In situations where surveys are not available, an estimate can be derived based on the number of subscribers. The methodology used should be supplied, including reference to the frequency of use (e.g., in the last month).

Definitions (listed alphabetically)

Benchmark A standard test or measurement used to compare the performance of similar components or systems.

Broadband InternetRefers to high-speed data-transmission-rate Internet connection. High-speed connection is defined as speeds equal to or greater than 256kbit/s, as the sum of the capacity in both directions.

Digital Literacy The ability to use digital technology, communication tools, or networks to locate, evaluate, use, and create information.

DSL Acronym for digital subscriber line or digital subscriber loop, often referred to as xDSL. It refers to fast two-way data connections over ordinary telephone lines.

EU-15This is a reference to the 15 countries that constituted the European Union before the union was expanded into former Eastern Europe (EU-25). The average performance of EU-15 in most ICT indicators remains higher than that of EU-25.

Extranet An extranet is a private network that uses Internet protocols and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a business’ information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses.

An extranet can be viewed as part of a company’s intranet that is extended to users outside the company.

Global Distribution System (GDS) The reservation network that links bookers such as travel agencies to travel suppliers’ booking systems.

Household A household consists of all persons who occupy a housing unit. The unit must be intended for year-round use, not seasonal or migratory use. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements.

Exclusion: persons living in group quarters/temporary housing are not classified as living in households.

Appendix 6�


Intranet A computer network, based on Internet technology that is designed to meet the internal needs for sharing information within a single organization.

Leased Lines A dedicated, circuit-switched telecommunication line leased from a common carrier that lets a company have a direct, permanent connection to the Internet

Local Area Network (LAN)A computer network technology designed to connect multiple computers separated by a short distance together to share information. A LAN can be connected to the Internet and can also be configured as an intranet.

Narrowband Internet Refers to low-speed data-transmission-rate Internet connection. Low-speed connection is defined as speeds less than 256kbit/s, as the sum of the capacity in both directions.

Online BankingOnline banking or Internet banking is a term used for performing transactions, payments, etc,. over the Internet through a bank’s secure website.

Online Transaction An action or set of actions occurring online between two or more persons relating to the conduct of business, commercial, or governmental affairs.

Transactional Service A service whereby a complete service lifecycle is enabled, i.e., from the initiation of a request to the end-delivery of service results, including electronic payment for services that requires a charge (based on standard classification used by Singapore Infocomm Development Authority, IDA).

Transactional Website A database-driven website that allows two-way interaction between the site owner and the end user. It is where a user can acquire goods or services just by filling in simple electronic forms on the website pages. This usually requires some form of authorization and authentication against a user registry. Furthermore, such a website should provide an online payment facility if the service or transaction includes a charge (e.g, health card renewal, hotel reservation); or if owned by a bank, such a website should allow users to perform financial transactions such as account or credit card application, utility bill payment, money transfers, among others. A similar online payment facility, however, is not a prerequisite for business-to-business (B2B) transactions carried out on such websites.

Virtual Learning Employing information and communication technologies to deliver instructions for courses (especially via the Internet).

Wireless Internet (Computer-Based) It refers to the type of Internet connection where information is sent from and arrives at a computer over electromagnetic waves.

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