Innovation and change

Figure 1:

Research provides new knowledge, which is crucial for us to create a more sustainable society and business life.

The proportion of companies with research and development, as part of their activities, has in the period 2010-2019 been smaller in the three northernmost counties than for the national average. While the share for the country as a whole was 20 per cent in 2019, the corresponding share in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark was 15 per cent, 16 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively. The proportion of companies with R&D activities has varied greatly in the three northernmost counties during this period, but where both Troms and Finnmark have a higher proportion in 2019 compared with 2010.

In 2019, the in-house R&D work in the companies in Troms was NOK 23,000 per employee, while the corresponding figures for Nordland and Finnmark were NOK 19,000 and NOK 12,000, respectively. The business community in the three northernmost counties was thus among the four counties with the lowest effort related to self-performed R&D in Norway this year. At the top is Trøndelag.

Figure 2:
Job creation is a fundamental prerequisite for reducing poverty.

The nobility of new companies has increased steadily since 2011, both in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark and for the country as a whole, but where the proportion is lower in the northernmost counties than for the national average. In 2020, new companies accounted for 16.1 per cent of all companies on a national basis. The corresponding figures for Nordland Troms and Finnmark were 14.1 per cent, 14.8 per cent and 14.5 per cent, respectively. The bulk of new establishments came especially in companies with 1-4 employees, but also in companies with 5-9 employees. It also reflects the size of companies in northern Norway, where a large proportion are within these segments.

The proportion of new registrations has also increased gradually in the period 2011-2020, and is slightly higher than the proportion of new establishments. We find the largest proportion of new registrations within the smallest companies.

Very few companies experience new owners. In 2020, this applied to less than 1 per cent of all companies in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, and on a national basis. Most changes of ownership take place in the smallest companies.