Report from Business Region Göteborg
LARGEST COMPANIES IN
THE GOTHENBURG REGION
Matton Images
Large companies are important to the
Gothenburg Region and to Sweden as
a whole
The Gothenburg Region has a long history of openness to the outside world. The region has been a
Scandinavian centre for global trade since the 1700s. Trade brought prosperity and forged strong
links between Gothenburg and the world around it. This early internationalisation is still evident
today in the region’s business community. Many companies in the region have seen success on
global markets and have expanded as a result. Compared with other cities of a similar size, we
have an unusually large number of big companies based in our region. Some of these have become
so big that they are classified as multinational companies.
A report by the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum¹ indicates clearly how important these big
­companies are for Sweden. The report says that the 20 largest multinational companies in ­Sweden
alone account for almost 50 per cent of businesses’ total investment in R&D and 35 per cent of
Sweden’s exports.
A company’s size can be measured in various ways. Perhaps the most common way is to measure
it based on the number of employees but, to complete the picture, both turnover and market cap
are relevant indicators. In this report we present the largest companies in the Gothenburg Region
on the basis of these different criteria.
The statistics include
the 13 municipalities in
the Gothenburg Region ­­
Association of Local
­Authorities: Ale, Alingsås,
Gothenburg, Härryda, ­Kungsbacka,
Kungälv, Lerum, Lilla Edet,
­Mölndal, ­Partille,
Stenungsund, Tjörn and
Öckerö.
¹Globalisation Forum Report 4, Sweden as a knowledge-based society
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BUSINESS REGION GÖTEBORG — LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE GOTHENBURG REGION
More than 100,000 workplaces
The latest statistics from Statistics Sweden indicate that in 2013 there were just over 106,000 workplaces in the Gothenburg Region. Companies in the Gothenburg Region are active in 747 different sectors.
This means that 92 per cent of all the sectors in Sweden are represented in the region. The vast majority
of ­companies are small. There are almost 70,000 workplaces with no employees, while there are only 240
workplaces with more than 200 employees.
Number of workplaces in 2013, by size
Source: Statistics Sweden
A workplace is a
geographically defined
address, property or group of
adjacent properties from which
the company runs a permanent
business at least 20 hours a week
and at which it employs staff.
­Temporary work locations or
home addresses do not
count as workplaces.
The large companies, on the other hand, employ more than 135,000 people. Since 2004, the number of
employees has increased in all size categories but the fastest growth has been in the smaller companies. In
total, there are more than 450,000 employees in the Gothenburg Region. Of these, 68 per cent are in the
private sector. It is the private sector that has accounted for the majority of the growth in the number of
employees in recent years.
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Number of employees in 2013, by size
Source: Statistics Sweden
An employee
is a person for
whom the employer is
required to deduct and
report income tax (main
employer), who is currently
employed and whose annual salary (work income) is expected
to exceed one cost-indexed
basic amount, or who has
been in a temporary
post for more than
three months.
Number of employees in 2013, by sector
Source: Statistics Sweden
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BUSINESS REGION GÖTEBORG — LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE GOTHENBURG REGION
Number of employees
The largest companies in the Gothenburg Region based on the number of employees
When we list the companies in the Gothenburg Region according to how many employees they have, V
­ olvo
Cars is far and away the Gothenburg Region’s largest private employer with 11,325 employees. They are
­followed by Volvo Trucks, Chalmers University of Technology and SKF. There have been no changes in
­ranking in the Top 10 since 2012. Seven of the ten largest employers form part of global companies which
generate a considerable proportion of their sales outside Sweden. The number of employees is always rounded up or down to the nearest 25 or 75.
Ranking
Company
Number of employees
in 2013
1
Volvo Personvagnar Aktiebolag
2
Volvo Lastvagnar Aktiebolag
11 325
4 175
3
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola Aktiebolag
2 925
4
SKF Sverige Aktiebolag
2 725
5
Volvo Information Technology Aktiebolag
2 475
6
Ericsson AB
2 225
7
AstraZeneca AB
2 025
8
Posten Meddelande AB
1 975
9
Samhall Aktiebolag
1 525
10
SCA Hygiene Products Aktiebolag
1 425
Source: Statistics Sweden
The statistics are
based on public limited
companies and do not
take account of group structures. This means, for example,
that the Volvo Group is treated
as several different companies. The
various companies in the Volvo
Group together employ more
than 10,000 people in the
Gothenburg Region.
The Gothenburg Region’s largest foreign-owned companies
There are currently 2,300 foreign-owned companies in the Gothenburg Region, double the number at the
beginning of the 21st century. The foreign-owned company with the most employees in the G
­ othenburg
­Region, ­by a broad margin, is Volvo Cars. They are followed by AstraZeneca, ICA Sweden, Dentsply (­ formerly­
Astra Tech) and Borealis. The big climber since 2012 is Keolis Sweden, which is new to the list of top
­companies. The recruitment agencies Manpower and Adecco are also high on the list.
Ranking
Company
Number of employees
in 2013
1
Volvo Personvagnar Aktiebolag
2
AstraZeneca AB
2 025
3
ICA Sverige AB
1 075
4
Dentsply IH AB
1 075
5
Borealis Aktiebolag
1 025
6
Keolis Sverige AB
925
7
Manpower Aktiebolag
875
8
Adecco Sweden Aktiebolag
875
9
Schenker AB
725
10
Johnson Controls Sweden Aktiebolag
625
Source: Statistics Sweden
11 325
A company is classified
as foreign owned if at least
half of the votes in the company
are controlled by a foreign
owner.
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Dependence on the largest employers is falling
The 100 largest companies in the Gothenburg Region have 88,900 employees, which corresponds to almost
one in five employees. The corresponding figure for the 10 largest companies is just over 7 per cent. In both
cases the long-term trend is downwards, which means that dependence on the largest employers has fallen.
This is primarily because the smaller companies are growing more quickly and have therefore employed more
people than the larger companies.
Share of employees in the 10 and 100 largest companies
Source: Statistics Sweden
A comprehensive list of the
100 largest companies can be
found on pages 8-10.
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BUSINESS REGION GÖTEBORG — LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE GOTHENBURG REGION
Market cap and turnover
Companies’ size based on market cap and turnover
A company’s size and, consequently, its importance can be measured in various ways. Earlier we used the
number of employees, which says something about how important the company is as a local employer. Other
relevant indicators of a company’s size are its market cap or its turnover. When we measure size using these
criteria the picture changes somewhat. This is because these statistics only include companies whose head
office is in the Gothenburg Region and they include the market cap and turnover of the entire group.
The Gothenburg Region’s largest listed companies
In all, there are 14 companies with their head office in the Gothenburg Region which are listed on Stockholm
Stock Exchange’s two major lists, Large Cap and Mid Cap. Volvo is far and away the largest company. Then
comes SKF, which is followed by the investment company Latour and the property companies Castellum,
Wallenstam and Balder.
Ranking
Company
Market cap in SEK million, 30
December 2013
1
AB Volvo
2
SKF
179 745
76 818
3
Latour
27 513
4
Castellum
17 218
5
Wallenstam
16 532
6
Balder
14 078
7
Bilia
4 123
8
Arcam
4 010
9
Opus Group
3 683
10
Gunnebo
3 037
Source: Avanza and Dagens Industri
Other Mid Cap
and Small Cap listed
­companies with their head
office in the Gothenburg
­Region include Fingerprint
Cards, KappAhl, Platzer, ­
New Wave, Vitrolife and
Semcon.
The Gothenburg Region’s largest companies based on turnover
Veckans Affärer’s list of Sweden’s 500 largest companies by turnover includes many high-ranking companies
with their head office in the Gothenburg Region. In 2012, the automotive companies AB Volvo and Volvo Cars
had a joint turnover of more than SEK 430 billion. SKF is in third place, followed by Stena Metall and Stena.
Ranking
Company
1
AB Volvo
304 243
2
Volvo Cars
126 303
3
SKF
65 224
4
Stena Metall
35 295
5
Stena
27 388
6
Cellmark
20 745
7
Bilia
17 694
8
Akzo Nobel
16 344
9
Papyrus
14 979
10
Schenker
12 511
Source: www.va500.se, edited for own purposes
Turnover in 2012 in SEK
million
Other companies with
their head office in the
Gothenburg Region include
Ekman & Co, Capio, Tamro,
­Dunross & Co, Carl Bennet,
­Mölnlycke Health Care,
­Göteborg Energi and
Latour
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The Gothenburg Region’s 100 largest private employers in 2013
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Ranking
Company
1
Volvo Personvagnar Aktiebolag
2
Volvo Lastvagnar Aktiebolag
4 175
3
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola Aktiebolag
2 925
4
SKF Sverige Aktiebolag
2 725
5
Volvo Information Technology Aktiebolag
2 475
6
Ericsson AB
2 225
7
AstraZeneca AB
2 025
8
Posten Meddelande AB
1 975
9
Samhall Aktiebolag
1 525
10
SCA Hygiene Products Aktiebolag
1 425
11
Saab Aktiebolag
1 375
12
Västsvensk Tidningsdistribution KB
1 325
13
TeliaSonera Sverige Aktiebolag
1 325
14
Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB
1 125
15
ICA Sverige AB
1 075
16
Dentsply IH AB
1 075
17
GS Spårvagn AB
1 075
18
Borealis Aktiebolag
1 025
19
Swedbank AB
975
20
Göteborg Energi Aktiebolag
975
21
Nordea Bank AB
925
22
Keolis Sverige AB
925
23
WILLY:S AB
925
24
Volvo Powertrain Aktiebolag
925
25
Coop Butiker & Stormarknader AB
875
26
Manpower Aktiebolag
875
27
Adecco Sweden Aktiebolag
875
28
Göteborgs Kyrkliga Samfällighet
875
29
Renova Aktiebolag
825
30
Lernia Bemanning AB
825
31
Securitas Sverige Aktiebolag
825
32
GS Buss AB
775
33
Aktiebolaget SKF
725
34
Schenker AB
725
BUSINESS REGION GÖTEBORG — LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE GOTHENBURG REGION
Number of
employees
11 325
35
SJ AB
725
36
Göteborgskooperativet för Independent Living
725
37
Liseberg Aktiebolag
675
38
Swedavia AB
675
39
Bilia Personbilar AB
675
40
Johnson Controls Sweden Aktiebolag
625
41
Praktikertjänst Aktiebolag
625
42
Volvo Logistics Aktiebolag
625
43
Xdin Aktiebolag
625
44
Sodexo AB
625
45
Coor Service Management Aktiebolag
625
46
ISS Facility Services AB
625
47
CGI Sverige AB
625
48
Postnord Logistics AB
625
49
Proffice Industrial & Logistics AB
625
50
Humana Assistans AB
575
51
Akzo Nobel Pulp and Performance Chemicals AB
575
52
Skanska Sverige AB
575
53
Stiftelsen Bräcke Diakoni
575
54
Svenska Handelsbanken AB
525
55
If Skadeförsäkring AB (publ)
525
56
Cowi AB
525
57
Göteborgsoperan Aktiebolag
525
58
Bilfinger Industrial Services Sweden AB
525
59
Aktiebolag Lindex
525
60
KappAhl Sverige AB
525
61
Hemköpskedjan AB
525
62
IKEA Svenska Försäljnings Aktiebolag
525
63
Axfood Sverige AB
475
64
Volvo Business Services Aktiebolag
475
65
Gothia Towers AB
475
66
Volvo Bussar Aktiebolag
475
67
ÅF-Technology AB
475
68
Göteborgs Kex Aktiebolag
475
69
Nettbuss Aktiebolag
475
9
70
Scandic Hotels Aktiebolag
475
71
APM Terminals Gothenburg AB
475
72
Volvo Parts Aktiebolag
475
73
Semcon Sweden AB
475
74
Arla Foods AB (publ)
475
75
Swedish Match North Europe AB
475
76
Passal AB
425
77
Pågen Aktiebolag
425
78
Unicarriers Manufacturing Sweden AB
425
79
DHL Freight (Sweden) AB
425
80
Stena Line Scandinavia AB
425
81
Veolia Transport Sverige AB
425
82
Aktiebolaget Volvo Penta
425
83
Volvo Technology AB
425
84
WSP Sverige AB
425
85
ÅF-Industry AB
425
86
Mölnlycke Health Care AB
425
87
Din Bil Sverige AB
375
88
Uniflex SverigeAB
375
89
NCC Aktiebolag
375
90
G4S Security Services (Sverige) AB
375
91
Casina Cosmopol AB
375
92
Santa Maria AB
375
93
Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry Aktiebolag
375
94
Systembolaget Aktiebolag
375
95
Metso Power AB
375
96
Sandarna Transporter AB
375
97
Frösunda LSS i Väst AB
375
98
Lisebergs Restaurant Aktiebolag
375
99
Attendo Sverige AB
375
100
ÅF-Infrastructure AB
375
Source: Statistics Sweden. The number of employees is rounded up or down to the nearest 25 or 75.
Groups are not shown.
This means that groups
such as Hogia, which has
about 475 employees, are not
included in the list because the
­individual companies in the
group are too small.
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BUSINESS REGION GÖTEBORG — LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE GOTHENBURG REGION
The Gothenburg Region’s largest public employers
The Municipality of Gothenburg and the Västra Götaland Region are by far the two largest public employers, with
34,425 and 26,775 employees respectively. Gothenburg University is the largest Government employer with 7,425
employees.
Municipality and Region
Ranking
Employer
1
Göteborgs kommun
34,425
2
Västra Götalands läns landsting
26,775
3
Kungsbacka kommun
7,275
4
Mölndals kommun
4,625
5
Kungälvs kommun
4,025
6
Alingsås kommun
3,975
7
Lerums kommun
3,525
8
Härryda kommun
3,325
9
Partille kommun
2,725
Stenungsunds kommun
2,225
10
Number of
employees
Government
Ranking
Employer
Number of
employees
1
Göteborgs universitet
7 425
2
Rikspolisstyrelsen
2 825
3
Försäkringskassan
1 475
4
Skatteverket
1 125
5
Arbetsförmedlingen
1 025
6
Kriminalvården
1 025
7
Trafikverket
775
8
Sveriges Domstolar
725
9
Försvarsmakten
575
10
Migrationsverket
525
Source: Statistics Sweden. The number of employees is rounded up or down to the nearest 25 or 75
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Business Region Göteborg AB, Box 111 19, SE-404 23 Göteborg, Sweden.
Visiting Address: Norra Hamngatan 14, Göteborg, Telephone: +46 (0)31-61 24 02.