Information and communication activities generated, in 2008, R$ 203.5 billion in revenue, as shown in the Annual Survey of Services (PAS)...

Information and communication activities generated, in 2008, R$ 203.5 billion in revenue, as shown in the Annual Survey of Services (PAS). It is the biggest operation in the sector of non-financial services, representing 29.9% of the total. Despite its reduced number of companies, this sector is formed by major institutions and accounts for high aggregated value in revenue. In 2008, the 879,691 companies of the non-financial sector, as estimated by PAS, employed 9.2 million persons and paid R$ 128.1 billion in salaries. Net operating revenue – the difference between gross revenue and the payment of taxes, discounts and cancelled sales – amounted to a total R$ 680.1 billion, and value added – gross production revenue minus intermediate consumption – to R$ 376.5 billion.  Among these companies, 292,528 (33.3%) belonged to the subsector of services rendered to enterprises, especially feeding services (199,547 companies, 22.7%). In the 46,239 companies with 20 or more persons employed (5.3% of the total), net operating revenue surpassed R$ 540 billion, that is, 79.4% of the total amount. This stratum represents 74% of the value added of services, 77.2% of salaries and other compensation and 65.9% of the persons employed. Considering year 2008, PAS reflects the change effected in the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE), thus increasing the visibility of activities which had gained economic importance throughout the years.

Technical-professional services held 39.5% of the employed persons

Among the seven subsectors surveyed by PAS in 2008, the biggest number of employed persons belonged to the sector of professional, administrative and complementary services, encompassing, among others, technical-professional activities and office and administrative support ones. The number of persons in this group is 3.6 million, or 39.5% of the total employed persons. The same occurred to payroll, R$ 44.2 billion or 34.5%. With reference to the number of companies, the figure was 28.3%, that is, 248,980 establishments, being surpassed only by services rendered to families, which includes activities of lodging and feeding.

Regarding net operating revenue, the highlights are information and communication activities, responsible for 29.9% of the total, and generating a flow of R$ 203.5 billion. A similar amount was reached by the sector of transportation, auxiliary services to transportation and mailing, with 29.2% or R$ 198.5 billion. The revenue of both segments, added to that of professional, administrative and complementary services (R$ 163.3 billion or 24%), represented 83.1% of the net operating revenue in 2008.

Among the activities, Telecommunications has the highest revenue

Feeding activities, belonging to the sector of services rendered to families, was the activity which hold the biggest number of employed persons, 13.3% or 1.2 million persons. According to PAS estimates, there were

199,547 companies in this sector, corresponding to 22.7% of the total number of services companies in Brazil. Although the average monthly compensation is low, about 1.4 minimum salaries versus 2.6 for the total of services, the number of persons employed I this activity led to the participation of 7% (R$ 8.9 billion) in the total salaries, withdrawals and other compensation. In the second position were services for buildings and landscape activities, with 9.2% or 849,541 persons. Also characterized by low salaries (1.5 monthly minimum salary), it includes the rendering of support, cleaning, maintenance, reception and entrance of buildings, immunization and pest control, gardening, among others.

Most of the payroll is attributed to technical-professional services, which include activities of assistance, consulting and technical analysis, being responsible for 11.1% or R$ 14.2 billion. In this subsector, value added was about 13.7% or R$ 51.4 billion. These activities also had significant participation in net operating revenue, with 10.4% or R$ 71 billion, reaching the third highest revenue of the services sector.

Telecommunications generates the highest net operating revenue, R$ 122.2 billion (18%). Besides, it accounted for the second biggest productivity, a variable that expresses how much each employed person aggregates to production: R$ 374.5 thousand per person. The value added of this activity was about R$ 51.2 billion (13.6%), the second highest in the segment.

In terms of productivity, the highlight was pipeline transport, to which each person employed added R$ 485 thousand, at the same time the overall average was R$ 40.8 thousand.  This kind of transport also presented the highest monthly salary, 18.7 minimum wages. Railroad transport had the biggest average number of persons employed by company: 1,218, versus the average of 10. Road transport of cargo featured in the second position regarding revenue (R$ 72.1 billion or 10.6%), reaching the third highest level of participation in value added (R$ 28.2 billion or 7.5%), payroll (R$ 9.4 billion or 7.4%) and employed persons (749,724 or 8.1%). Air transport paid the second highest average salary (8 minimum salaries).

CNAE 2.0 causes changes in information services  

Changes brought by the adoption of CNAE 2.0 to PAS 2008 were aimed at adapting the survey to the current economic scenario.  It is the case, for example, of the information technology activities, previously called computer science activities. It is the update of the terminology used in the market, which reflects deep changes effected in the activities related to the use of computer and treatment of information. 

With reference to services rendered to families, sports activities became part of the survey. They formed a group previously called recreational and cultural activities. In relation to telecommunications, the services which were previously grouped in one single category were disaggregated into five groups, being the highlight cable TV companies. There was also    the creation of a category relative to services for buildings and landscape activities, previously treated together with photographic services and a variety of other activities rendered to enterprises.