IT and IT enabled (BPO) services9 Trade in Information Technology and Information Technology enabled services (IT and BPO services ) has been the main driver of growth in India’s trade in services in recent years. The total turnover of the industry is estimated to have increased ten-fold between 1998-99 and 2007-08, from about US $ 6 billion to nearly US $ 64 billion. Exports too have shown phenomenal growth from US $ 2.7 billion to over US $ 40 billion during this period. Direct employment is estimated to have risen from 230,000 in 1998-99 to nearly 2 million in 2007-08, of which the export segment accounted for over 1.5 million. Projections of growth during the XI Plan indicate that the exports in the year 2011-12 will be US $ 86 billion and direct employment from exports 3.4 million. IT and BPO services revenue as a percentage of the overall GDP is estimated to have grown from about 1 per cent in 1999-2000 to over 4 per cent in 2007-08. Including IT hardware the percentage is estimated to have increased from 1.8% to 5.5% during the period.
