In OECD countries, services account for almost 70% of GDP. Job creation in services is exceeding overall job growth in the OECD area, with about 65% of workers engaged in activities related to services.

Traditional services, such as restaurants and health care, are booming, along with newer technology-based services such as software design. The service economy is all around us.

Many industry-related policies are still geared to manufacturing. The Committee on Industry and Business Environment (CIBE) assesses new policy approaches to stimulate innovation and encourage intangible investments in research and training in service sectors. It is looking at ways to increase service sector productivity and extending its industrial statistics to include more service sectors.

A subset of strategic business services is making a significant contribution to growth. These are firms providing computer software and information processing, R&D and technical testing, advertising and marketing, human resource development and organisational advice. Such services, which are usually provided by smaller enterprises, aid large firms in efficiently using their resources.