European IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks 2024/2025

Preparing a benchmark for IT spending or IT employee staffing levels can be a difficult exercise for any business. Our European IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks study makes the job easier for IT executives in Europe by providing an IT spending framework with key ratios, statistics, and other IT cost metrics for strategic IT budget analytics. IT spending as a percent of revenue and other IT budget ratios are provided for selected industries and company sizes in Europe.

This study is a companion study to our annual IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks study, which provides a full set of IT budgetary benchmarks and IT staffing metrics by industry sector and organizational size for private and public companies and for governmental organizations, based on our annual, in-depth survey of over 350 information technology executives. This companion study for Europe should be used in conjunction with our full study to provide insight into how high-level spending and staffing benchmarks differ for European organizations.

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Summary Chapters

Chapter 1: Executive Summary, Europe (Free Download)
Chapter 2: Composite Benchmarks, Europe
Chapter 3A: Benchmarks by Organization Size: Small, Europe
Chapter 3B: Benchmarks by Organization Size: Midsize, Europe
Chapter 3C: Benchmarks by Organization Size: Large, Europe
Chapter 3D: Benchmarks by Organization Size: Very Large, Europe

Industry Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 4: Process Manufacturing, Europe
Chapter 5: Discrete Manufacturing, Europe
Chapter 6: Banking and Finance, Europe
Chapter 7: Insurance, Europe
Chapter 8: Retail, Europe
Chapter 9: Wholesale Distribution, Europe
Chapter 10: Energy and Utilities, Europe
Chapter 11: Healthcare Services, Europe
Chapter 12: Professional and Technical Services, Europe
Chapter 13: Transportation and Logistics, Europe
Chapter 14: Construction and Trade Services, Europe
Chapter 15: IT Services and Solutions, Europe
Chapter 16: Media and Information Services, Europe

Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 17: High-Tech, Europe
Chapter 18: Life Sciences, Europe
Chapter 19: Food and Beverage, Europe
Chapter 20: Chemicals, Europe
Chapter 21: Industrial and Automotive, Europe
Chapter 22: Commercial Banking, Europe
Chapter 23: Brick-and-Mortar Retail, Europe
Chapter 24: Online Retail, Europe
Chapter 25: Utilities, Europe
Chapter 26: Hospitals, Europe
Chapter 27: Professional Services, Europe
Chapter 28: Technical Services, Europe
Chapter 29: IT Services and Consulting, Europe

INTENDED AUDIENCE

For CIOs and consulting firms, this 38-chapter study provides key metrics and unbiased data for you to benchmark an organization’s total IT spending and staffing levels. This study will allow you to achieve the following outcomes:

• • Benchmark your IT operational spending levels. Compare them with those of organizations of similar size and industry sector. Over 20 specific IT cost management ratios and other IT support metrics are provided, such as IT budget as a percent of revenue and IT budget per employee/user, allowing IT executives to highlight opportunities to reduce IT costs, optimize IT expenses, and improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and governance of the IT organization.
  • Measure your IT capital budget spend levels. Nearly 20 specific IT capital budget metrics are provided to help stakeholders monitor IT investment levels relative to competitors.
  • Manage your IT staffing levels. Over 30 IT head count ratios are provided for benchmarking IT staff counts, measuring IT worker productivity, and achieving efficiency within the IT department.
  • Evaluate your IT key performance indicators (KPIs). Compare your IT intensity and infrastructure metrics with your peers, using measures such as percentage of the IT budget spending for running, growing, and transforming the business, custom/commercial software mix, users per network site and per printer, PCs per user, percentage of users with smartphones, data center OS mix, virtualization levels, outsourcing and managed services spending levels, use of cloud services, and other KPIs – all important factors in budgeting for IT.

For providers of IT products and services, this study provides valuable insights into the current IT budgeting priorities of corporate buyers and changes in levels of IT operational and capital spending. This study provides objective data based on our in-depth survey of IT decision makers. As such, it can be a valuable source of IT spending statistics to validate assumptions underlying IT solution provider business strategy, capabilities and competitive analysis, pricing strategies, and sales processes.

KEY METRICS DESCRIPTIONS

This section lists all the key metrics provided in the full report. All key metrics listed appear in Chapter 2 for the composite sample and in Chapters 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D for small, midsize, large and very large organizations.

All key metrics are also provided in our industry sector and subsector chapters (Chapters 4–29), except those marked with an asterisk (*).

Demographics

In section 1, we describe the key characteristics of the sample to establish a basis for comparison with other IT organizations. These key metrics are as follows:

• • Organization size demographics, including revenue, employees, revenue per employee, and revenue per user
  • IT spending demographics, including total IT spending, IT capital spending, and IT outsourcing budget
  • IT infrastructure demographics, including number of data centers, network sites, and business applications, and ERP systems.
  • Key metrics of IT intensity, including ratio of users to employees, PCs per user, percentage of users with tablets, percentage of users with smartphones, users per network site, and percentage of application functionality from custom systems

Spending by Type

In section 2, we provide IT spending benchmarks by type of spending. These key metrics not only provide additional demographic information but also identify IT trends. They include:

• • Percentage of IT budget spending for running, growing, and transforming the business
  • Outsourcing as percentage of IT budget
  • Outsourcing allocations for managed services, cloud infrastructure, and consulting
  • Cloud/subscription software as a percentage of application portfolio (*)

IT Planning and Budgeting Priorities

In section 3, we examine key budget priorities for IT organizations. These key metrics include:

• • Net Trend for Spending by IT Initiative. Spending priorities by budget area, showin the net percentage of organizations planning to increase spending: artificial intelligence, data analytics/business intelligence, legacy systems, disaster recovery/business continuity, data center automation, blockchain, IoT advanced networking, metaverse and VR/AR.
  • The importance of lowering costs vs. improving service levels in the coming year (*)

Total IT Spending Metrics

Section 4 presents key metrics for IT spending, which includes current-year IT operational and capital spending, but excludes depreciation. These key metrics include:

• • Total IT spending as a percentage of revenue
  • Total IT spending per user
  • Total IT spending per PC
  • Budget categories as average percentage of total IT spending, including spending on personnel, business applications, data center hardware/software, energy/utilities, IT facilities/floor space, cloud infrastructure, network infrastructure, IT security, voice/data carrier expenses, PCs/end-user devices, printers/printing, and other expenses

IT Operational Spending Metrics

Section 5 presents key metrics for IT operational spending. These key metrics are as follows:

• • IT operational spending as a percentage of revenue
  • Percentage of organizations decreasing, maintaining, or increasing IT operational spending year over year (*)
  • IT operational budget percentage change from previous year (*)
  • Adequacy of current IT operational budget to support the business (*)
  • IT operational spending per user
  • IT operational spending per PC
  • Percentage of IT operational budget charged back to business units
  • Budget categories as average percentage of IT operational spending, including spending on personnel, business applications, data center hardware/software, energy/utilities, IT facilities/floor space, cloud infrastructure, network infrastructure, IT security, voice/data carrier fees, PCs/end-user devices, printers/printing, and other expenses
  • Personnel as a percentage of IT operational spending at the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile
  • Depreciation as a percentage of IT operational budget

Spending Outside the IT Budget

Section 6 provides an analysis of spending that occurs outside of the IT budget and a definition for non-IT spending that sometimes appears in the IT budget.

IT Operational Spending per Tower

Section 7 provides an analysis on IT operational spending per tower. These towers are aligned with the Technology Business Management (TBM) taxonomy. Metrics include the percentage of IT operational spending in the IT management tower, business applications tower, data center tower, network tower, end-user tower, security and compliance tower, and delivery tower.

Capital Spending Metrics

Section 8 provides an analysis of IT capital spending, including:

• • Percentage of organizations decreasing, maintaining, or increasing IT capital spending (*)
  • IT capital budget change from prior year (*)
  • IT capital budget as a percentage of total IT budget
  • Budget categories as average percentage of IT capital spending, including spending on personnel, business applications, data center hardware/software, energy/utilities, IT facilities/floor space, cloud infrastructure, network infrastructure, IT security, voice/data carrier fees, PCs/end-user devices, printers/printing, and other expenses

IT Staffing Metrics

In section 9, we provide key metrics and trend data on IT staffing, including:

• • Users per IT staff member
  • Percentage of organizations increasing, maintaining, and decreasing IT staff levels from previous year (*)
  • IT staff head count change from prior year (*)
  • IT staff turnover
  • Annual training allocation per IT employee
  • Contingency workers as percentage of IT staff
  • IT staff functions as average percentage of IT staff, including IT managers, IT finance/vendor management/procurement, project management, clerical/administrative support, application developers, business analysts, data management, quality assurance/testing, DevOps engineers, database administration, server support, network support, communications support, web/e-commerce, IT security, help desk (service desk), desktop support, documentation/training/process and standards, and other functions

Job Function Metrics

In section 10, we provide key benchmarks for seven job functions:

• • IT managers as a percentage of IT staff (*)
  • OS instances per server support staff member (*)
  • Network devices per network support staff member (*)
  • Applications per application developer (*)
  • PCs per desktop support staff member (*)
  • Users per help desk staff member (*)
  • Help desk tickets per end-user support staff member per year (*)

Business Application Metrics

Section 11 provides business application metrics, including:

• • Business application spending as percentage of IT operational spending
  • Business application operational spending per user

Data Center Metrics

Section 12 covers these data center spending and infrastructure metrics:

• • Processing workload by operating system, including IBM mainframe, Unix, Linux, IBM i (OS/400), Windows Server, and other
  • Percentage of processing workloads by location: on-premises/data center, managed services providers, and public cloud
  • Consolidated data center spending per user
  • Consolidated data center spending per physical server (*)
  • Data center hardware/software spending as a percentage of IT spending
  • Data center hardware/software spending per user
  • Energy/utilities as a percentage of IT spending (*)
  • Energy/utilities spending per user
  • Energy/utilities spending per physical server (*)
  • Cloud infrastructure services as a percentage of data center spending (*)
  • IT facilities/floor space as a percentage of IT spending (*)
  • IT facilities/floor space spending per user (*)
  • OS instances per physical server (*)
  • Users per physical server (*)

Network Metrics

Section 13 covers the following network metrics:

• • Consolidated network spending per user
  • Network infrastructure as a percentage of IT spending
  • Network infrastructure spending per user
  • Network spending per network site
  • IT security as a percentage of IT spending (*)
  • IT security spending per user (*)
  • Data/voice carrier spending as a percentage of IT spending (*)
  • Data/voice carrier spending per user (*)

End-User Computing Metrics

Section 14 covers the following end-user metrics:

• • Consolidated end-user technology spending per user
  • PCs/end-user device spending per user
  • PCs/end-user devices as a percentage of IT spending
  • Printer/printing as a percentage of IT spending (*)
  • Printer/printing spending per user (*)
  • Users per printer (*)

EUROPEAN CHAPTER DESCRIPTIONS

Chapter 1: Executive Summary (Free Download)

This chapter provides an overview of the key findings from the full study and describes the contents of the subsequent chapters. It also includes information on the study participants and the survey methodology.

• • IT operational budget change from prior year: US and Canada vs. Europe
  • Net percent increasing IT operational spending
  • IT operational spending growth by organization size
  • Adequacy of current IT operational budget to support the business
  • Total IT spending as percentage of revenue
  • IT operational spending per user
  • Change in IT operational budgets from prior year
  • Percentage of organizations changing IT capital spending
  • Capital budget as a percentage of IT spending
  • Spending priorities by IT initiative
  • Historical cloud subscription rates
  • Percentage of IT budget spending for running, growing, and transforming the business
  • Percentage of organizations changing IT staff head count

Chapter 2: Composite Benchmarks

This chapter provides composite metrics for all survey respondents across all sectors and organization sizes. The sample includes 154 organizations and is stratified by size and sector as described in the survey methodology section. Respondents must have at least €50 million in annual revenue or IT spending greater than €1 million and maintain at least some operations in Europe. There is no upper limit on the size of survey respondents.

Chapters 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D: Benchmarks by Organization Size

In these chapters, we provide a complete set of benchmarks for organizations within the specified size classification. Small organizations benchmarks are in Chapter 3A, midsize organizations in Chapter 3B, large organizations in Chapter 3C, and very large organizations in Chapter 3D. These chapters use a three-year sample. There are 98 respondents in the small organization sample, 102 in the midsize sample, 65 in the large sample, and 40 in the very large sample. We define the size categories as follows:

• • Small organizations have IT operational budgets of less than $10 million.
  • Midsize organizations have IT operational budgets of $10 million to less than $100 million.
  • Large organizations have IT operation budgets of $100 million to less than $500 million
  • Very large organizations have IT operational budgets of $500 million or greater.

To avoid the problem of having very small organizations in our sample, we have excluded respondents with less than $50 million in annual revenue.

This year, to facilitate common definitions for IT cost data, we continue to align our metrics with the Technology Business Management (TBM) taxonomy. For more information, visit the TBM Council’s community website.

• • Chapter 3A: Benchmarks for Small Organizations

Small organizations have IT operational budgets of less than $10 million.

• • Chapter 3B: Benchmarks for Midsize Organizations

Midsize organizations have IT operational budgets of $10 million to less than $100 million.

• • Chapter 3C: Benchmarks for Large Organizations

Large organizations have IT operation budgets of $100 million to less than $500 million.

• • Chapter 3D: Benchmarks for Very Large Organizations

Very large organizations have IT operational budgets of $500 million or greater

Chapter 4: Process Manufacturing Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 4 provides benchmarks for process manufacturers. Process manufacturers are defined as those where the production process adds value by mixing, separating, forming, or chemical reaction. This sector includes manufacturers of chemicals, petrochemicals, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, food and beverage products, cosmetics, building materials, packaging materials, steel, glass, paper products, and other process-manufactured goods. The 44 respondents in the sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to a maximum of around €200 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 5: Discrete Manufacturing Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 5 provides benchmarks for discrete manufacturing organizations. Discrete manufacturers are defined as those where the production process adds value by fabricating or assembling individual (discrete) unit production. This category includes manufacturers of consumer products, athletic equipment, industrial equipment, telecommunications equipment, aerospace products, furniture, auto parts, electrical parts, medical devices, and electronic devices, among other products. The 46 respondents in this sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to over €200 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 6: Banking and Finance Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 6 provides benchmarks for banking and financial services companies. The firms in this sector include commercial banks, investment banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, consumer finance lenders, and other types of lenders and financial services providers. The 24 respondents in this sector range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to around €10 billion in annual sales.

Chapter 7: Insurance Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 7 provides benchmarks for insurance companies. The firms in this sector include companies that sell medical and dental insurance, life insurance, property and casualty insurance, auto insurance, disability insurance, and other types of insurance. The 21 respondents in this sector range in size from a minimum of €50 million to over €15 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 8: Retail Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 8 provides benchmarks for retailers. This sector includes retailers of clothing, jewelry, hardware, furniture, sports equipment, groceries, pharmaceuticals, and general merchandise. It includes department stores, fashion stores, furniture stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, sporting goods stores, and specialty retailers. We also include hospitality and consumer services in this sector. The 45 respondents in the sample range in size from €50 million to over €35 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 9: Wholesale Distribution Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 9 provides benchmarks for wholesale distributors. The category includes wholesale distributors of building products, home improvement products, auto parts, industrial components, fuel supply, electronics, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and other products. The 18 respondents in the sample range in size from a minimum of about €60 million to €30 billion in revenue.

Chapter 10: Energy and Utilities Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 10 provides benchmarks for public utilities, oil and gas producers, service companies, and midstream distributors across all organization sizes. The 31 respondents in this sector include public utilities (water, gas, and electric), integrated energy companies, upstream exploration and production companies, natural gas companies, pipeline operators, and other energy and utilities companies. The companies in our sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to more than €100 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 11: Healthcare Services Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 11 provides benchmarks for healthcare services companies. The 17 respondents in this sector include community hospital groups, multiregional hospital systems, healthcare systems, dental service organizations, university hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other healthcare organizations. These organizations range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to over €15 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 12: Professional and Technical Services Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 12 provides benchmarks for professional and technical services organizations. The 44 respondents in the sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to about €45 billion in annual revenue. The sector includes firms that provide professional and technical services, including engineering, legal, accounting, financial advice, consulting, marketing, research, and other services.

Chapter 13: Transportation and Logistics Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 13 provides benchmarks for the transportation and logistics sector. The 21 respondents in this sample range in size from a minimum of €55 million to over €100 billion in revenue. The category includes organizations that operate buses, trucks, railways, airlines, barges, and ships. The sector also includes logistics companies that transport goods, transportation companies, and regional transportation authorities that move people.

Chapter 14: Construction and Trade Services Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 14 provides benchmarks for construction and trade services companies. The 23 respondents in the sample range in size from about €60 million to around €35 billion in annual revenue. This category includes engineering and construction companies, commercial, residential, and industrial construction contractors, specialty contractors, firms that provide oil field services, mining services, environmental services, and other construction and trade services firms.

Chapter 15: IT Services and Solutions Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 15 provides IT spending and staffing statistics for the IT services and solutions sector. This category includes software companies, SaaS providers, systems integrators, IT solution providers, business process outsourcing firms, and other providers of IT services and solutions. There are 28 organizations in the sample, ranging in size from around €50 million to over €25 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 16: Media and Information Services Sector Benchmarks

Chapter 16 provides benchmarks for the media and information services sector. This sector includes publishing, broadcasting, entertainment, and digital media organizations, as well as other media and information services companies. The 15 respondents in the sample have annual revenues ranging from about €50 million to around €13 billion.

Chapter 17: High-Tech Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 17 provides benchmarks for high-tech companies. This category includes computer products manufacturers, telecommunications equipment manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, aerospace and defense manufacturers, pharmaceutical makers, biotechnology product makers, and other high-tech manufacturers. The 21 respondents in this sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to over €60 billion in revenue.

Chapter 18: Life Sciences Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 18 provides benchmarks for life sciences companies. This category includes pharmaceutical makers, biotechnology product companies, and medical device manufacturers. The 18 respondents in this sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to over €38 billion in revenue.

Chapter 19: Food and Beverage Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 19 provides benchmarks for food and beverage manufacturers. The 23 respondents in the sample range in size from about €65 million to €30 billion in annual revenue. Food and beverage companies produce beverages, snack foods, meat products, seafood products, dairy products, dietary supplements, and other consumable food products. Some are suppliers to other food manufacturers or to the food service industry, while many also distribute consumer products to retailers or directly to consumers. This subsector does not include retailers of food and beverages, such as restaurants, unless they also manufacture their own food and beverage products.

Chapter 20: Chemicals Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 20 provides benchmarks for chemical manufacturers. Chemical manufacturers are, by definition, process manufacturers that produce chemical products. This subsector includes manufacturers of chemicals, petrochemicals, and other chemical products. The 14 respondents in the sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to around €35 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 21: Industrial and Automotive Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 21 provides benchmarks for industrial and automotive manufacturers. The 26 respondents in this subsector make auto parts, material handling equipment, engines, machinery, vehicles, and similar durable goods. The manufacturers in the sample range in size from about €50 million to over €200 billion in annual revenue.

Chapter 22: Commercial Banking Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 22 provides benchmarks for commercial banks. This subsector includes credit unions and community, regional, international, and national banks. The 18 respondents in this sample have annual revenues ranging from a minimum of about €50 million to over €40 billion.

Chapter 23: Brick-and-Mortar Retail Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 23 provides benchmarks for brick-and-mortar retailers. This subsector includes department stores, clothing stores, convenience stores, pet stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, nonprofit retailers, furniture retailers, agricultural retailers, and other retailers. The 32 respondents in this sample have annual revenues ranging from about €50 million to over €35 billion.

Chapter 24: Online Retail Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 24 provides benchmarks for online retailers. This subsector includes online retailers of clothing, home furnishings, dietary supplements and health products, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, sports equipment, and other products. The 16 respondents in this sample have annual revenues ranging from about €100 million to over €25 billion.

Chapter 25: Utilities Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 25 provides benchmarks for utility companies. The 27 respondents in this subsector range in size from over €85 million to around €100 billion in annual revenue. This category includes gas and electric utilities, power transmission distributors, water and power utilities, and telecommunications service providers.

Chapter 26: Hospitals Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 26 provides benchmarks for hospitals. The 15 respondents in this subsector range in size from €50 million to around €15 billion in annual revenue. This category includes community hospitals, university hospitals, nonprofit hospitals, health clinics, healthcare systems, and regional healthcare providers.

Chapter 27: Professional Services Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 27 provides benchmarks for professional services organizations. The 29 respondents in the sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to about €20 billion in annual revenue. This subsector includes firms that provide professional services, including legal, accounting, financial advice, consulting, marketing, and other services.

Chapter 28: Technical Services Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 28 provides benchmarks for technical services organizations. The 17 respondents in the sample range in size from a minimum of about €50 million to about €70 billion in annual revenue. This subsector includes firms that provide technical services, such as engineering, architectural, scientific, research, and other services.

Chapter 29: IT Services and Consulting Subsector Benchmarks

Chapter 29 provides IT spending and staffing statistics for the IT services and consulting sector. This category includes systems integrators, IT solutions providers, business process outsourcing firms, managed services companies, IT consultants, and other providers of IT services and solutions. There are 18 organizations in the sample, ranging in size from around €50 million to over €25 billion in annual revenue.

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