MACAO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The rate of usage of Information Technology (IT) in Macao's business sector stood at 47 percent last year, an increase of four percentage points over 2007, according to the figures released on Thursday by Macao's Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

    Analyzed by industry, the rate of IT usage of wholesale and retail trade (43 percent) surged significantly by seven percentage points year-on-year in last year, and that of the gaming sector and travel agencies reached 100 percent and 97 percent, the figures indicated.

    In 2008, among the establishments or enterprises using IT, 80 percent have connected to the Internet and the major purposes of accessing the Internet included information search (39 percent) and purchasing (17 percent), the DSEC said.

    Meanwhile, 76 percent of local households possessed IT equipment or devices such as computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), etc., with 55 percent of the male aged three or over were computer-users and 51 percent had access to the Internet.

    Regarding the age group, 90 percent of those aged 15 to 24 were computer-users and 89 percent had access to the Internet. Analyzed by educational attainment, the rate of computer usage and Internet usage for those with tertiary education was 88 percent and 86 percent respectively.

    With respect to the location of accessing the Internet, the majority were at home (91 percent) or at work (26 percent); the major purposes of accessing the Internet included information search (87 percent), communication (84 percent) and government services (46 percent), according to the DSEC.