The number of employees in Armenia’s newest technology sphere is equal to the number of employees in the mining industry, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said today at the Digitec technology 2012 business forum.

“This traditional forum in the newest technology sphere has its unique place, gathering the specialists of the sphere in one place,” Tigran Sargsyan said. The latter noted that Armenia has no other way but create a knowledge-based economy.

“According to the World Bank report, Armenia has overcome the financial-economic crisis becoming more stabilized and acquiring higher resistance. It proves us able to confront world risks,” Tigran Sarsgyan said.

Referring to the IT sphere, Tigran Sargsyan said there is lack of IT specialists in Armenia with the graduates of universities not satisfying the local market.

“As of now the staff does not satisfy the demand. We lack 20-30 per cent of the demanded staff,” the premier said.

The goal of the business forum is to assist the development of innovative economy on the basis of digital solutions, present all the IT products and services for economy’s upgrading.

This year the number of participant organizations increased by 48% against the 2011.