Research and development in the business enterprise sector 2015:
Increased R&D expenditure in small and medium-sized businesses
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2016-11-16 9.30
Research and development (R&D) in the business enterprise sector amounted to about SEK 95 billion in 2015. This was 7 percent higher than in 2013. Enterprises with 10 to 249 employees accounted for the increase. The R&D expenditures share of the GDP is unchanged.
R&D expenditure in the business enterprise sector increased by SEK 6 billion, or 7 percent, compared with 2013. The R&D share of the GDP was 2.28 percent, which is unchanged from 2013.
Note: Margin of error is published in the statistical report and in the statistical database.
Enterprises with 250 or more employees accounted for 78 percent of total R&D expenditure in 2015. However, small and medium-sized enterprises accounted for the increase in R&D expenditure. Enterprises with 10 to 49 employees increased expenditures by SEK 2 billion, or 30 percent, and enterprises with 50 to 250 employees increased expenditures by SEK 3.4 billion, or 37 percent.
| Intramural R&D expenditure by size of enterprise, number of employees, SEK million, 2015 price level | 2013 | 2015 | Change, SEK million | Change, percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total R&D expenditure | 88 970 | 94 995 | 6 025 | 7% |
| 10-49 employees | 6 472 | 8 428 | 1 956 | 30% |
| 50-249 employees | 9 250 | 12 630 | 3 380 | 37% |
| 250 and more employees | 73 248 | 73 937 | 689 | 1% |
Manufacturing enterprises accounted for about 71 percent of total R&D expenditures in the business enterprise sector due to large goods-producing enterprises with substantial R&D expenditure. In enterprises with fewer than 250 employees, service enterprises accounted for 71 percent of R&D expenditures.
Research and development in Sweden is concentrated to certain industries. The transport industry has the largest expenditure, at SEK 20 billion. The transport industry and the industry for manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products together account for 42 percent of the expenditure.
About half of R&D expenditures consisted of labour force costs, as in 2013. Other current costs accounted for the largest increase in Swedish kronor (SEK 2 billion), but the largest percentage increase was reported in investments (27 percent).
| Intramural R&D expenditure, by type, SEK million, 2015 price level | 2013 | 2015 | Change, SEK million | Change, percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total R&D expenditure | 88 970 | 94 995 | 6 025 | 7% |
| Labour force costs | 47 680 | 49 307 | 1 627 | 3% |
| Consultancy fees | 17 604 | 18 936 | 1 332 | 8% |
| Other current costs | 19 997 | 22 070 | 2 073 | 10% |
| Total investments | 3 689 | 4 683 | 994 | 27% |
The number of person-years amounted to about 57 300. This is roughly 900 person-years more than in 2013, although the increase lies within the margin of error. Small enterprises (10 to 49 employees) increased their person-years by over 2 200, or 37 percent. Large enterprises (250 and more employees) decreased person-years by 1 700, or 4 percent.
| Number of R&D person- years by size of enterprise | 2013 | 2015 | Change, SEK million | Change, percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of R&D person-years |
56 413 | 57 285 | 872 | 2% |
| 10-49 employees | 5 936 | 8 156 | 2 220 | 37% |
| 50-249 employees | 7 886 | 8 211 | 326 | 4% |
| 250 and more employees | 42 591 | 40 918 | ‑1 673 | ‑4% |
Definitions and explanations
Intramural R&D
Activities carried out in Sweden by the organisation's own personnel, or by consultants in an R&D project led by the organisation, where the organisation's personnel have worked together with consultants. Intramural R&D includes R&D assigned by others.
R&D Expenditures
R&D expenditures include current expenditures and investments for intramural R&D. Current expenditures refer to labour costs, consultant fees, and other current expenditures. Investments include Buildings, land and real estate, Machinery and equipment, and Software.
Person-year
A person-year is the work that one full-time employee does in one year. A full-time employee that uses half of their time for R&D in a year has therefore performed 0.5 R&D person-years.
NACE
R&D statistics in the business enterprise sector are presented in accordance with the European activity classification NACE rev. 2.
Publication
Next publishing will be
2016-11-25 at 09:30.
Statistical Database
More information is available in the Statistical Database
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.