Microsoft will be responsible for generating more than $425bn in revenues for the 640,000 vendors in the firm's 'ecosystem', according to research by IDC.

Microsoft-related activities will account for 14.7 million jobs from an IT industry total of 35.2 million, representing 42 per cent of total IT employment globally in 2007, the Microsoft-sponsored study claimed.

The 'ecosystem', defined as IT professionals and people working at IT companies that create, sell or distribute products that run on Microsoft platforms, will also generate more than $514bn in tax revenues worldwide when the IT professionals are included.

Tax revenues from the ecosystem in western Europe alone will be just under $133bn in 2007.

IDC's research examined the IT industry's impact on local job creation, company formation and tax revenues in 82 countries representing 99.5 per cent of total technology spending worldwide.

Global spending on IT will generate a further 100,000 new businesses and 7.1 million new jobs over the next four years, according to the report.

China will account for the number one source of new IT jobs, followed by the US.

"Technology is a key factor for economic, social and technological progress, and for the sustainability of economies all over the world," said John Gantz, chief research officer at IDC.

"The IDC research underscores what we have always known to be true, that software provides a disproportionate contribution to a vibrant IT economy."