Serbia’s information and communications sector expanded revenue more rapidly than operating expenditure in the second quarter, indicating improving efficiency in one of the country’s most important service-export industries.
ICT business revenue rose 8.3% year on year, while operating expenses increased 8%, preliminary official data showed. The annual difference was narrow, suggesting costs continued to absorb most of the additional income.
The quarterly comparison was more favourable. Revenue increased 9.9% from the first quarter, while expenses rose only 5.7%, producing a 4.2-percentage-point gap.
That divergence may point to stronger capacity utilisation, improved pricing or growth in scalable digital services that do not require costs to rise at the same pace as sales. It could also reflect slower recruitment following years of rapid wage growth in the technology sector.
The figures do not establish that ICT profits rose by the same margin. They cover business revenue and operating expenses, while exchange-rate effects, financing costs, taxes and differences among telecommunications, software and other digital businesses can influence final earnings.
The annual data are also less decisive than the quarterly comparison. With revenue growth exceeding expenses by only 0.3 percentage points year on year, the sector has not yet demonstrated a clear structural break from its previous cost pattern.
Even so, the second-quarter performance strengthens the case that ICT can expand without replicating every percentage point of revenue growth in additional spending. If sustained, that would support investment, exports and higher-value employment.
The next quarters will show whether the widening gap marks a durable efficiency gain or merely a favourable three-month movement in a volatile sector.
