This publication presents for the first time detailed data on the role played by multinationals in the industrial sectors of the OECD economies. In an era of globalisation, these data highlight the increasing importance of multinationals in the economies of host countries, particularly in production, employment, value added, research and exports.

The data also show that multinationals make a positive contribution to the economic development of host countries: productivity levels are well above those of national firms; salaries are generally higher; and numbers of employees are growing faster than those of national firms. The R&D efforts and technology transfers of multinationals strengthen the innovation capacity and competitiveness of host countries.