The number of employees using the internet for business purposes increased by 3.8 per cent last year, according to the National Statistics office.

The real estate, renting and business activities sector recorded the highest increase, up by over nine per cent. Almost all enterprises with 10 or more employees used computers, while 97.1 per cent also used the internet.

Mobile internet usage also showed positive increases across all enterprises and sectors.

In total, 1,114 enterprises provided mobile devices to their employees last year, an average of 11 per enterprise.

A total of 12,095 employees were given a mobile device by their employers to connect to the internet for work purposes.

The survey also showed 66 per cent of enterprises using internet also using social networks, with just over 81 per cent (1,139) having their own website. A total of 1,139, or 81.7 per cent, had their own website.

Close to 20 per cent of enterprises conducted online sales last year, a slight increase over the previous year. There was also an increase in enterprises using the internet for purchases, except for large enterprises and those within the construction industry.