::: Invest in Skaraborg ::: the great lakes ::: closer to successful business - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


Welcome	\|	Skaraborg	\|	Investment	\|	Living

News	\|	Facts	\|	Links	\|	Contact

Labour market »


	Labour market:

	Number of gainfully employed as a percentage by sector The manufacturing industry Sweden: 18.5 per cent Västra Götaland: 22.1 per cent Skaraborg: 28.5 per cent Research and development, and education Sweden: 8.5 per cent Västra Götaland: 8.2 per cent Skaraborg: 7.7 per cent Healthcare Sweden: 18.4 per cent Västra Götaland: 18.6 per cent Skaraborg: 19.7 per cent The construction industry Sweden: 5.8 per cent Västra Götaland: 5.5 per cent Skaraborg: 5.4 per cent Trade, transport and communication Sweden: 18.3 per cent Västra Götaland: 18.9 per cent Skaraborg: 14.7 per cent Credit institutions, property administration and corporate services Sweden: 13.8 per cent Västra Götaland: 12.2 per cent Skaraborg: 6.5 per cent Agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing Sweden: 1.8 per cent Västra Götaland: 1.5 per cent Skaraborg: 4.0 per cent Percentage of the population with post upper secondary school education Sweden: 29 per cent of men, 33 per cent of women Västra Götaland: 28 per cent of men, 33 per cent of women Skaraborg: 20 per cent of men, 26 per cent of women The largest private employers in Skaraborg Volvo Powertrain – automotive Volvo Cars – automotive Dafgårds – convenience food Swedish Meats – meat products Electrolux – domestic appliances Kinnarps – office furniture Asko Cylinda – domestic appliances Arla Foods – dairy products Metsä Tissue – paper Marbodal – kitchen and bathroom fixtures Number of gainfully employed as a percentage Sweden: 77.7 per cent of men, 73.8 per cent of women Västra Götaland: 78.0 per cent of men, 73.8 per cent of women Skaraborg: 82.4 per cent of men, 75.5 per cent of women

	» Close window «


Five reasons to invest in Skaraborg:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	Low land costs Skilled, loyal workforce Value for money Low housing costs Good quality of life

It’s easy to do business here

There are lots of good reasons for investing in Skaraborg. One of the most important is good availability of land and suitable premises at favourable prices. Another is the dedicated, loyal, skilled personnel who live here.

Gothia Science Park in Skövde offers a stimulating, developmental environment for start-ups and established knowledge companies alike. Its close proximity to the University of Skövde leads to natural interaction between the business community, researchers and students.

Liveum in Skara is a breeding ground for new business ideas in the agricultural and food sectors. The SLU (Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet – Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) is located adjacent to Liveum. The food sector in the region is also an important business partner.

The University of Skövde and the SLU both work as strategic business partners and serve as a recruitment base for companies in Skaraborg.

Some of the most outstanding clusters in Skaraborg are the wood processing, food and automotive clusters.

Skaraborg wood processing cluster
This cluster is part of western Sweden and originates in a tradition of crafts developed through design and high-tech knowledge. We have world-leading companies in the fields of kitchens, offices and furniture. Ikea, Swedish Match, Marbodal, Kinnarps and Forbo-Parquet are some of the best-known companies with operations in Skaraborg.

Our wood processing tradition has developed extensive and in-depth expertise. Our education courses are high quality and a guarantee of skilled labour in the future. And our logistics solutions have been developed in Skaraborg for the furniture industry in Scandinavia and Europe. Wood processing companies which decide to establish themselves in Skaraborg have great potential for development and good business.

Example of relevant wood processing companies operating in Skaraborg
Kinnarps AB, Falköping
Marbodal AB, Tidaholm
Vänerply AB, Gullspång
Gyllensvaans Möbler AB, Falköping
Tibro Kontorsmöbler AB, Tibro
Swedish Match AB, Tidaholm
Vedum Kök & Bad AB, Vedum
Forbo Parquet AB, Tibro
Moelven Töreboda AB, Töreboda
Götenehus AB, Götene

Skaraborg food cluster
In the heart of a productive agricultural district, with short distances between the primary and secondary sectors, there is a cluster of some 120 different companies within the agricultural sector. Total production – mainly diary, meat and cereals – amounts to 10 billion Swedish kronor and employs around 6,000 people.

The cluster is characterised by high productivity – 20 per cent of all slaughtering in Sweden takes place in Skara and Skövde. All cheese and cooking fat produced by Arla is handled in Götene. As much as 25 per cent of Sweden’s total food production takes place in this part of the region.

The cluster is also encompassed by a well-developed structure for education, logistics and service. Thanks to the high concentration of the food industry, there is also plenty of skilled labour.

Skara is home to the SLU where food technicians are educated and the Biologiska Yrkeshögskolan (Biological sciences college) where food technology can be studied. The veterinary research station and the new animal protection authority are also situated on campus.

Example of relevant food sector companies operating in Skaraborg
Swedish Meats, Skara
Svenka Lantägg AB, Skara
Falbygdens Ost AB, Falköping
Gunnar Dafgråd AB, Källby
Arla Foods AB, Götene
LSG Sky Chefs Taxfee AB, Tibro
Fazer Bageri AB, Lidköping
Källbergs Industri AB, Töreboda
Jede AB, Mariestad
Falköpings Mejeri, Falköping

Skaraborg automotive cluster
The Swedish automotive industry is clearly concentrated in Västra Götaland. Statistics show that 36% of the employees in the Swedish automotive sector and 55% of the employees of the Swedish OEM sector are employed here, in Västra Götaland.

The expertise of this region lies mainly in the areas of safety and telematics – being the world leader in integrated safety (before, during and after a collision) and telematics (involving systems for trucks buses and cars). The competence of Västra Götaland also includes design, human machine interface, material technology, biomechanics, process and production technology, and combustion technology.

There are four colleges and universities in Västra Götaland, where research within several areas with connection to the automotive industry is conducted. This research is carried out with a total number of 580 senior scientists.

Example of relevant automotive companies operating in Skaraborg
Volvo Powertrain, Skövde
Volvo Car Corporation Engine, Skövde
Collins & Aikman Automotive Syst. AB, Skara
Lear Corporation Sweden AB, Tidaholm
Volvo Personvagnar Komponenter AB, Floby
Arkivator Falköping AB, Falköping
Componenta Främmestad AB, Nossebro
Parker Hannifin AB, Falköping
Partex Marking System AB, Gullspång
TI Group Automotive Systems AB, Lidköping