This paper estimates the economic contributions of ATM to GDP and to employment in selected countries, as well as to provide some measures of ATM-related investment and economic productivity. Its focus, driven in part by availability of data, is on the European and North American economies. Incomplete information and estimates along parallel lines are also provided for small groups of States in Central and South America, South Asia and South Africa. The total impact of ATM (including direct, indirect and induced effects) on North American and European GDP in 2002 was estimated to be of the order of $22 billion, with total direct, indirect and induced employment at approximately 230,000 jobs. In these two regions, ATM capital investment amounted to approximately 20% ($2.6 billion) of revenue in 2002. Considering only direct values, worldwide ATM revenues were estimated to be in the range of $16-20 billion in 2002. Numerous other estimates of a similar nature are provided. Comparisons with other European data, confirm the view of ATM as a sector in which jobs have high skill content. Productivity appears to be comparable to that in other technologically advanced sectors of the economy. The findings of this study should be treated as preliminary, in view of data limitations and the diverse economic characteristics of the countries and regions examined.
