New report: One in three jobs in Europe generated by IPR-intensive industries

Approximately 35 percent of all employment in the EU (or 77 million jobs) stems directly or indirectly from IPR-intensive industries, according to a report published jointly by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM).

The study also shows that 39 percent of the total economic activity in the EU (or €4,7 billion) is generated by IPR-intensive industries. Furthermore, the average remuneration in IPR-intensive industries is more than 40 percent higher than in other industries, according to the report.

“The report shows that intellectual property plays a vital role for the EU economy,” says Magnus Hallin, CEO at Awapatent.
“An interesting fact is that IPR-intensive industries directly employ 26 percent of the workforce but generate 39 percent of the GDP. The report also shows that 90 percent of EU exports stem from IPR-intensive industries.”

The study is the first-ever EU-wide study of the impact of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) on the European economy in terms of GDP, employment, wages and trade. It takes into account all the major IP rights: patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights and geographical indications. The study shows that about half of all EU industries are IPR-intensive, with engineering, real estate, financial and insurance activities, manufacture of motor vehicles, retail, computers and pharmaceuticals among the top 20 IPR-intensive industries in Europe.