The Swedish Market
IT services
This report is provided by the National Board of Trade – Open Trade Gate Sweden and has been written by Ultiro AB,
a Sweden based IT company. The report may be used for non-commercial purposes, in total or in part, for free and on
a non-exclusive basis by anyone or any institution wishing to do so, provided appropriate acknowledgement is given.
The Swedish market for IT services
Sweden is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the
world. The IT and telecom industry consists of companies focusing on
the development of software, hardware and digital IT services – such as
international streaming services for music, development of computer
games and digitalization of financial services. Sweden is the birthplace
of many well-known global tech brands in various sectors that play a
leading role in the world. Spotify, Skype, Ericsson, Electrolux,
Truecaller, µTorrent, Klarna, Mojang, King, among others. It is an
ever-growing industry with a great need for expertise.
Despite the fact that Sweden has come a long way, some big challenges
still remain. The availability of large amounts of data is growing rapidly
and the need for processing and analysing these is becoming increasingly
important. The biggest challenge is the great lack of IT skills. Most
competencies are still in high demand, such as system developers. The
shortage of skills is also significant in the gaming market, which
continues to grow rapidly. The opportunities that arise through these
shortcomings make Sweden an important growth geography for
international digital talent.
Sweden as target market for IT services
The IDC (International Data Corporation) report on the Nordic IT
services market forecasts the Nordic market for IT services will grow
from $24.4 billion in 2018 to $29.5 billion in 2023 with a CAGR
(Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 3.2% in 2019–2023. This is a
continuation of a trend that started much earlier (see picture below).
Figure 1: The Nordic IT market
Source: Radar Ecosystem specialist report 2017, Radar Nordic outlook 2019
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Sweden accounts for more than 40% of the Nordic IT Market, followed
by Denmark, Norway and Finland respectively. The region is
experiencing rapid growth in digital transformation led by Sweden that
experienced a CAGR of 10.3% in 2019. As digital transformation
progresses and changes the way IT services are produced, sold, and used,
the differences in the four Nordic markets become much more important
and defined by variations among industries.
The graph below shows the total IT expenditure in monetary value across
Sweden, Norway and Denmark, with manufacturing, public sector and
consumer services accounting for the largest share of IT spend.
Figure 2: Total IT expenditure, million EUR, 2019
Source: Radar industry inbrief analysis 2019
Figure 3 shows the IT services market revenue in Sweden from 2016 to
2021. The IT services market is expected to amount to approximately
8,199.4 million U.S. Dollars by 2021. The category includes the
segments cloud services, IT-consulting, IT-outsourcing, and other
services.
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Figure 3: IT services market revenue in Sweden
Source: Statista Research Department 2019
Figure 4: IT-outsourcing services market in Sweden
Source: Statista Research Department 2019
IT-outsourcing is a major part of the Swedish IT services market
accounting for more than half of the IT services market revenue and
a vast majority of companies outsourcing IT services. Figure 4 shows the
IT-outsourcing services market revenue in Sweden from 2016 to 2021.
In 2020 the turnover in the IT-outsourcing market was projected to be
3,885.6 million U.S. Dollars, and is expected to amount to approximately
3,978.4 million U.S. Dollars by 2021. The category includes the sub-
segments: professional payment services, IT-infrastructure outsourcing,
IT-application outsourcing, and IT-administration outsourcing.
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What services are demanded in Sweden?
Software development
Software is one of the most important components for Swedish
companies to function and for their competitiveness. Virtually all
companies in Sweden have a clear dependence on software in their
business operations, according to a survey by Swedsoft. Software is
used by both developing and non-developing companies. About 30% of
Swedish companies have their own software development. Almost half
of the large companies, regardless of industry, develop their own
software products (49%), while just over a third develop new software
applications within existing software products or systems, e.g. developed
by third parties.
This development has been very rapid, which is well illustrated by the
fact that software expenses in Swedish companies have doubled from
$2.5 billion in 2014 to $5 billion in 2019. But as digitalisation accelerates
and demand for software development and new data services increases,
additional software solutions and thus development capacity are required.
Many companies do not have their own knowledge and skills to develop
software products, or simply lack the resources. Therefore, the need for
outsourcing partners increases.
The COVID-19 crisis has increased the need for software development
and outsourcing further. Homework has blurred the distinction between
in-house and distributed teams. This means that more companies are
looking at destinations other than the traditional ones.
Web and mobile application development
The web and application development industry is a large industry in
Sweden with several professional roles and professional areas, including
websites, web applications and e-commerce systems. The need for Front
End developers is great among web agencies, communication agencies
and among IT consultants, but also among companies in other sectors.
Today, mobile and tablet are the most common devices for getting in
touch with a company and its website. This places great demands on
Mobile Application development. Development for mobile devices is an
industry that is developing very fast and customers and users are growing
and the opportunities are therefore great. Demand exists in several
industries and companies in Sweden. The future prospects are good for
the industry as a whole and the growth is excellent.
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The app industry continues to grow and there is still a shortage of app
developers. The EU estimates that five million app developers will be
needed in just a few years. This growing demand for app developers in
the EU in general and Sweden in specific creates opportunities for app
developers in developing countries to take advantage of. IT service
providers in these countries could position themselves for these
opportunities in the app industry.
IT support and maintenance
The economy is growing and thus the demand for IT professionals. There
is a strong deficit in certain IT skills and the deficit is increasing. The
demand for support technicians or service desk technicians that work
with user support and support in IT is high. As program portfolios
increase, better support is needed. A large part of the support must take
place on site in Sweden, but much is spent on call centers in other
countries.
Smaller Swedish companies often need IT support with broad tasks,
while larger companies often require more specialized tasks. Some of the
most sought after helpdesk competencies is support for operating
systems, mainly Windows, with standard applications and software,
configuration and administration of cloud solutions such as Office365,
resolving various operational and network issues, troubleshooting
hardware and various business-specific applications, adding new users
and other account changes in Active Directory.
Communication is important. In almost all Swedish workplaces,
therefore, good knowledge of Swedish is a prerequisite, so that you and
the user understand each other. However, it is becoming increasingly
common with support in English - either as a complement to Swedish or
a replacement.
Combined IT and business skills are also in-demand. As the IT
department approaches the business units, the need increases both in
terms of technology knowledge among the business people and business
knowledge among the technicians. Demand is high for those who have
both technical competence and who have sufficient knowledge to be able
to shoulder the role of both business and systems analysts.
Game development
Every eighth person in the world has played a Swedish video game. The
Swedish gaming industry is experiencing a strong development and in
2019 had an increased revenue to $2.29 billion. In 2019, jobs increased
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by 654 new full-time positions to a total of 8 578 employees at 442
Swedish registered companies. According to the industry, the need for
recruitment is likely to continue at this rate in the future. Among other
things, the increase in staffing is due to the fact that several large
international gaming projects have been completed in Sweden and there
is a greater demand for maintenance of old projects. Despite the increase
in the number of employees, the industry believes that the lack of skills is
one of the biggest threats to the industry's development. The game
development sub-sectors offer outsourcing opportunities for IT service
providers in developing countries to tap into by providing the much
needed development resources at speed and cost.
Cloud computing
Cloud computing (or simply Cloud) is the delivery of computing
services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software,
analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet. Cloud services, such as
email cloud services, work with documents in the cloud, data storage and
backup, team and project management online, etc, have increasingly
become an essential part of enabling digitization and the realization of
data-driven functions throughout Sweden.
Through the digitization process, new opportunities are provided.
Companies are in need of support to become digital and build a structure
that both benefits internal work and creates better customer experiences
by using cloud services. The new circumstances and challenges caused
by COVID-19 have created further opportunities for cloud services.
Companies now go faster in the cloud and need tailor-made solutions to
do so.
IT outsourcing and consulting
The need for digital competence in Sweden remains great and the
difference between demand and available supply looks set to increase
with the rapid digital development. There are great opportunities for
those with expertise in system development, cloud solutions or The
Internet of Things (IoT). Also, other skills such as IT project
management, database developers, web developers or individuals with IT
security skills are examples of where demand is increasing.
The lack of IT skills is not only great but also broad. Several
organizations need more than just one type of competence to be able to
succeed with their digitization goals. This is because there are natural
synergies between the different IT skills. It is also because of the wide
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demand for IT skills as the IT industry has developed more towards a
consulting-intensive industry.
According to the Hays Global Skills Index 2019/20, Sweden is amongst
the most pressured labour markets. The talent shortage indicator has risen
to the highest possible score of 10.0, which shows that the gap between
the skills wanted by businesses and the skills available on the labour
market is now at its greatest. IT&Telekomföretagen (Swedish IT &
Telecom Industries) expects that 70,000 unfilled digital roles will hit
Sweden by 2022, accounting for 4% of the European digital skills
shortage.
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
(CEDEFOP) Report highlights ICT architects, ICT testers, test analysts,
software and systems engineers, and developers as some of the most-
wanted specialisms. Other areas with acute skills shortages include; BI
and data analytics, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, technical
architecture, UX and DevOps.
Figure 5: Talent shortages growing around the world
Talent shortages are increasing around the world, with greatest year-over-year increases
in the U.S., Sweden, Finland, Hungary and Slovenia. Only 18% of countries are not
reporting talent shortages.
Source: Manpower Group
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There is very little competition in Sweden for jobs when it comes to
system developers, engineers in IT / data and computer scientists – there
are more jobs than there are educated people. For webmasters, web
editors, web designers, however, there is a lot of competition for jobs –
there are more educated people than there are jobs.
The opportunities that arise through these shortcomings make Sweden an
important growth geography for international digital talent. The ongoing
shortage of technical talent in Sweden means that employers are
increasingly looking beyond borders to find the people they need. To
overcome immigration hustles, most companies choose to partner with
professional IT outsourcing companies with nearshore and offshore
outsourcing offering that they can use to build extended teams outside
Sweden.
The most sought-after IT skills in Sweden:
1. Programming. More and more companies are adapting their
programs to the web, which leads to an increased demand for, for
example, Ajax, Dotnet and PHP.
2. Project management. The need is great for people who can lead
projects that are both business-driven.
3. Helpdesk. As program portfolios increase, better support is
needed. A large part of the support must take place on site and
only parts can be outsourced to call centers in low-cost countries.
4. Security. Intrusion protection and control, but expertise in
databases and wireless security are also in demand.
5. Datacenter. This requires people who know virtualization,
automation and storage.
6. Business skills. IT departments need people who understand
business, whether it is specialized business analysts or technicians
with business-specific knowledge.
7. Network. This applies above all to administration, convergence,
wireless systems and security.
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What requirements should suppliers meet?
Technical requirements and competences
Programming languages
There are about 600 programming languages and the demand and
popularity varies from year to year. New trends, such as AI and machine
learning, mean that certain programming languages have increased in
popularity.
JavaScript, Python and Java are the most widely used programming
languages in Sweden. In terms of ranking, the top 10 ranked programing
languages are: Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, C++, PHP, Swift,
MATLAB, Scala, Objective-C, respectively.
For IT service providers in developing countries wishing to provide
software development services to customers in Sweden, expertise in
some of the above languages would be a merit, especially where the
client has a preference.
Software development methodologies
The choice of a particular software development method depends largely
on the project and the company carrying it out. But over the last decade,
it has become more popular to run projects based on an agile way of
working, while interest in the sequential way of working has decreased.
Measurements by The Standish Group show that the number of failed
projects has decreased as the number of agile project methods has
increased.
The traditional waterfall model is typically used in projects that have
well-understood problems, where the requirements at an early stage are
well-defined and easy to understand, and when the requirements do not
change. It can also be suitable for smaller projects with shorter
development time. But software development projects today often require
a more flexible project management method that provides scope for
ongoing testing, adversity and feedback from real users. In general, agile
methods are also more flexible. Instead of focusing on time-consuming
processes and documentation, agile methods deal with unpredictability
by relying on people and their creativity.
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Other tech stack considerations
A tech stack (or Technology Stack) refers to the set of technologies an
organization uses to build a web or mobile application. It is a
combination of programming languages, frameworks, libraries, patterns,
servers, UI/UX solutions, software, and tools used by its developers.
In addition to Programming languages and software development
methodologies, there are a host of tech stack considerations to make. IT
Service providers in developing countries need to be versatile and have
knowledge on a broad range of tech stack so as to be able to meet clients’
unique preferences.
Quality assurance
Quality assurance means that an organization develops, documents and
follows processes for its work and develops and uses various tools to
support this work, in order to ensure the quality of the objects that are
quality assured. The organization can turn to a certification body to be
certified according to international standards or establish its own internal
quality assurance policies, processes and procedures.
Every organization has its standards and requirements to purchase IT
services. Generally, the organization mentions these terms and conditions
in their procurement or request for proposal. As Sweden is in the EU, the
standards have to be in line with EU rules and regulations, as well as
national laws and regulations.
There are many standards and certification programs according to
product and service variation. Certification is the procedure whereby
suppliers can show that their products and services have been produced
in compliance with a particular standard (set of processes and
procedures). Customers from EU countries demand that the products and
services they are buying are certified against recognized international
standards. When seeking certification, keep in mind that different
customers might require different certifications.
If the service is complicated and therefore requires a detailed description
(for example, with most IT services), the service specification could be
added as a separate schedule to the proposal or contract. The service level
is typically dealt with through a provision that states that the service must
be performed following market standards and will include an obligation
to comply with the applicable laws.
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One of the most common QA certification standard is ISO 9001 (Quality
Management Systems), some other relevant standards particularly in the
IT field include the following:
● ISO 37500:2014 Guidance on outsourcing
● ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management
● ISO/IEC 17799:2005 Information technology — Security
techniques — Code of practice for information security
management (withdrawn)
Swedish customers have a very high standard for quality both in terms of
IT products as well as services. For many SMEs quality assurance is not
established by a set of formal quality standards, but is part of the business
culture that all service providers have to conform to in order to be able to
thrive in the Swedish market. Larger companies and corporations on the
other hand have a more formal approach to quality assurance and select
services providers with certifications from international bodies such as
ISO (International Organization for Standardization).
Legal requirements
Laws and Regulations
As an IT service provider for a Swedish company you need to be aware
of the legislation that applies in Sweden and is relevant for the IT sector.
This legislation does not apply to you, but to your Swedish partner.
Nevertheless, this will most probably translate into requirements that
your Swedish partner will ask you to fulfil in order to start a
collaboration.
Sweden is part of the EU. When it comes to rules and regulations for the
IT sector, some aspects are regulated at EU level and apply to all EU
countries. Other regulations are specific for Sweden. Below we are
describing in short the most noteworthy EU regulations and directives, as
well as national laws and regulations in Sweden.
Data protection: Regulation (EU) 679/2016 (General Data Protection
Regulation) (GDPR). All outsourcing of business must adhere to the
provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Businesses are prohibited from transferring personal data outside the EU
if the recipient of that data does not have an adequate level of protection
for personal data. This protection has to fulfil the standards that are set up
within the EU. Since there is a high requirement of security when
personal data is transferred, the supplier needs to have developed high
standard and compliant IT systems.
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Cybersecurity: Regulation (EU) 2019/881 (Cybersecurity certification of
information and communication technologies). The regulations aims to
achieve a high common level of cybersecurity across Europe. IT service
providers targeting the Swedish market should familiarize themselves
with the cybersecurity regulation and how to align their operations with it.
In Sweden, national law does not specifically regulate IT outsourcing
transactions, but there are several sectoral regulations that apply.
Outsourcing covers a broad range of sectors that are subject to sector-
specific regulation including (among others):
● Consumer credit (Finansinspektionen).
● Energy.
● Financial services (FFFS 2005:1; FFFS 2007:16; FFFS 2014:1)
● Gambling
● Health and social care (Patient Data Act (2008:355)
● Medicines and medical devices (Patient Data Act (2008:355)).
● Telecommunications, broadcasting and postal services (Electronic
Communication Act).
Depending on the activities of the outsourcing services provider, licences,
permits or approvals can also be required from numerous other bodies such
as local authorities or government departments.
Legal setup for a business relation
The most common structure of outsourcing in Sweden is a direct
outsourcing which is based on a contract between the customer and the
supplier. It is also common to use an indirect structure, where the
customer either appoints a supplier that subcontracts to another supplier
or multi-sourcing, in which the customer enters into contracts with
different suppliers for different parts of its requirements. It is also
possible to set up a joint venture company, partnership or contractual
joint venture, but this arrangement, which is more complicated and more
expensive, is not that common. Joint venture outsourcing has been used
in particular in large outsourcing transactions within the bank and
insurance sectors.
Governance and ethical business practices
Swedish companies have very high business ethics and want to do
business with ethical partners. Service providers that want to supply
services to Swedish companies need to have good governance and ethical
business practices.
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With increasing anti-corruption regulation globally and in Sweden,
companies are looking to minimize their anti-corruption risks within their
supply chain by working with trusted services providers. Below are some
of the key areas:
1. Duly registered and follow laws and regulations
2. Clear business structures with identifiable Ultimate Beneficial
Owners
3. Ethical Financial and accounting practices
4. Tax compliance
5. Respect for human rights
6. Transparency and anti-corruption
New trends and opportunities
New technologies
New technologies such as; Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial
Intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML), Blockchain, Big Data, etc.
have seen tremendous growth during recent years. In the Nordic, IoT and
cognitive systems such as AI and ML grew at a whopping rate of 65%
and 68% respectively, and in Sweden at a rate of 70% and 56%
respectively.
Figure 6: Digital growth areas
A Nordic outlook for 2019
Source: Business Sweden
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Figure 7: Digital areas Sweden
Disruptive technologies, values and growth 2018-2020
Source: Business Sweden
Globally, the AI market will grow to a $190 billion industry by 2025
with global spending on cognitive and AI systems reaching over $57
billion in 2021. With AI spreading its wings across sectors, new jobs will
be created in development, programming, testing, support and
maintenance, to name a few. Machine Learning the subset of AI, is also
being deployed in all kinds of industries, creating a huge demand for
skilled professionals. The global spending on the Internet of Things (IoT)
is forecast to reach 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022. New technologies
such as 5G are expected to drive market growth in the coming years. The
global AR and VR market is expected to grow to $209.2 billion by 2022.
IT service providers in developing countries can tap into the opportunities
created by new technologies, due to the demographic nature of their
populations being where the majority of the young people are.
COVID-19 as a driver of digitization
COVID-19 pandemic rapidly sent millions of people to work from home
creating an immediate challenge for many organizations to provide;
secure system access to employees; and a sudden requirement to digitize
processes - including previously paper-based transactions, in-person
meetings, business travel, and other “normal” day-to-day operations.
COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the rise of the digital economy
creating opportunities for innovative IT service providers to take advantage
of. As a result of the pandemic, 95.5% of IT companies have introduced
homework for their IT resources. According to Radar's survey data, more
than half have made new investments to enable working from home.
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The extent of the pandemic continues to grow, but Sweden has done
better than a number of other nations. Confidence that the conditions for
IT operations will be back to the same levels relatively quickly as before
COVID-19 is high. IT budgets have decreased throughout the year 2020
by 6.0 percent compared to 2019, but are expected to recover in 2021 by
+4.5 percent and then grow by 2-3 percent annually, according to Radar.
IT budgets are expected to be back at the same value as in 2019
approximately at Q4 2021.
The trends continue to lead to increased automation and digitization.
Sweden is at the forefront and have a very good infrastructure that makes
it easier for tech companies, above all, to adapt quickly and explore new
ideas. About a third of all jobs advertised in Stockholm are in the tech
industry – and thus in the categories of IT, computer games, software and
the Internet. This is an indication that even if the development in the total
labor market has been negatively affected by the corona crisis, the tech
industry is still stable in comparison with other industries.
Distributed software development
As the need for software grows, great opportunities arise for innovation
in the software industry. Programmers around the world can work with
the same code in real time, and companies can specialize in a wide range
of areas by opening affiliates for specialist knowledge groups. These
distributed organizations offer great opportunities, but they also have
new challenges. First, the increasing complexity makes it difficult for
organizations to access all the necessary skills in their own organization.
Secondly, the degree of specialization required to keep pace with
developments is increasing. Third, technology tends to evolve from one
industry to another, which means that more and more disciplines are
intertwined.
In general, the above means that the need for more distributed work is
growing, for example, through collaboration and new institutions in
places with good employment opportunities.
On average, 30% of Swedish companies have decided to form alliances,
partnerships or other types of cooperation. However, the scope and range
vary between large and small companies.
However, international cooperation is not without problems. Sweden is
characterized by a clearly non-hierarchical organizational culture and a
comprehensive strategy for solving problems. In general, Swedes also
have a high level of trust and liberal and secular values. The starting
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point is also focused on solutions with a positive attitude to new ideas
and their own innovative solutions.
In international comparison, these approaches are relatively extreme and
the Swedish model can be seen as contradictory by the outside world. This
is also repeated in the Swedish method of leadership, which is largely
based on consensus and equality, in contrast to many other countries where
top-down methods and hierarchies of decisions are common.
Sustainability
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), together
with new laws, rules and regulations, have increased the need of robust
digital systems for managing compliance, sustainable responsibility and
transparency. Businesses need digital platforms to help them attain greater
efficiency and increased profitability, with clear connection to SDGs.
As investors demand more environmental, social and governance (ESG)
efforts and consumers increasingly expect brands to take action,
organizations must now demonstrate that they are purposeful about
sustainability, hold strong ethical standards and operate responsibly in
everything they do.
For help, companies and brands are turning to their IT partners—and to
technology. This presents opportunities for IT service providers to provide
technologies and services to help businesses deliver sustainable growth.
Where and how to find business partners
After Silicon Valley, Stockholm is the second largest IT hub in the world
with a vibrant and active ecosystem. Companies are connected through
different networking platforms, and there are different activities that offer
opportunities for businesses to meet, share ideas, develop partnerships
and promote their products and services. Below are some of the ways
where and how one can come in contact with potential business partners:
Trade fairs and conferences
There are many trade shows and conferences that take place in Sweden,
within the IT and Technology field. Exhibiting at IT Trade Fairs or
attending IT related conferences can be a good way to come in contacts
with potential customers. Among other, some of the major IT trade
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Shows include: STHLM Tech Fest, CS3STHLM Expo, Devopsdays
Stockholm, MicroSoft Tech Days, IP EXPO Nordic. Some of the major
IT conferences include: Business Technology Show, WEBBDAGARNA
Stockholm, I Gaming Forum, Devsum, 600Minutes Executive IT.
Sources of information
There are a number of platforms, organizations and associations with
relevant information about the Swedish market that one can turn to.
Some notable ones include:
IT & Telekomföretagen
The Swedish IT and Telecom Industries is an industry and employer
organization for all companies in the tech sector, with the task of creating
the best possible conditions for a competitive Swedish IT and telecom
industry. It has over 1350 member companies - which in total have
almost 100,000 employees in Sweden. IT & Telekomföretagen publishes
relevant reports and insights that might be relevant for IT services
providers looking to sell their services to the Swedish market.
Business Sweden
Business Sweden is jointly owned by the Swedish state and the Swedish
business sector with a mandate and a mission to help international
companies gain access to the Swedish market and help domestic ones
utilize it as a platform for expansion. Although Business Sweden’s
mandate is to primarily help Swedish companies expand in international
markets, some of its activities could be helpful for service providers in
developing countries looking to enter the Swedish market. For instance,
it publishes useful information about the Swedish market, and organizes
delegations for Swedish companies to developing countries where one
could meet potential partners and customers.
Verksamt.se
Verksamt.se is a service where four government agencies; the Swedish
Companies Registration Office, the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish
Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and the Swedish Public
Employment Agency – have brought together and structured information
and services of value to businesses. Verksamat.se has useful information
for international service providers regarding; registration requirements,
taxation, employment, etc.
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Sweden Abroad
Sweden has diplomatic relations with almost all States in the world. It
has embassies and consulates in around half of these. Sweden's foreign
representation consists of approximately 100 missions abroad and 350
honorary consulates.
Every country’s embassy has a business section to create a business
relationship between the two countries. So this platform is very
important. Sweden Abroad has put together some useful resources on
doing business with Sweden.
Company databases
How do I find the right company? Here you can find companies that
could be relevant to you.
● LinkedIn. Many Swedish companies have a presence on LinkedIn
and it is possible to search and find companies in different sectors
such as IT.
● Bolagsverket. Swedish Companies Registration Office is the
Swedish companies registration office.
● Statistics Sweden. Statistics Sweden (SCB) helps you find the
right statistics and companies.
● Hitta.se. Hitta.se is a website with information on Swedish
businesses (only available in Swedish).
● Allabolag.se. Allabolag.se is a website with information on
Swedish registered organizations (only available in Swedish).
● International company databases like: opencorporates.com,
vainu.io/search; crunchbase.com.
What you need to do to get business
Good online presence
In today’s digital world, a good online presence is a prerequisite for
businesses that want to do business internationally. For service providers
that want to access the Swedish market, below are some of the digital
platforms and social channels that are good to have:
1. A resourceful website with good search engine optimization and
online ranking.
2. A professional LinkedIn company page that is active, with clear
and engaging content.
3. A good presence on Facebook and Instagram.
4. Other relevant digital channels and social media include Twitter,
Medium, etc.
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Have a local presence
In addition to having a good online presence, having an actual physical
presence or representation in Sweden makes all the difference. Foreign
companies that don’t have or are not able to have a presence in Sweden
could consider forming partnerships with Sweden based companies so as
to represent them locally. There are a good number of databases where
one can find Swedish companies, connect and explore opportunities for
partnership and collaboration. (see company databases above)
Sales representative or agents
IT service companies looking to enter the Swedish market could also
consider having sales representatives or agents to help them market and
sell their services in Sweden. Having sales representatives that
understand the local market, business culture and/or the language could
make all the difference. Diaspora from developing countries in Sweden
could be a huge resource to utilize when looking for sales representatives
and agents as they have knowledge of both cultures and contexts.
