2014年-世界发展银行全球_Enterprise_Surveys___Sweden_Country_Profile_2014_12页_1mb

Sweden 2014 Enterprise Survey Summary

Core Content

The Enterprise Surveys (ES) conducted by the World Bank Group assess the business environment across various indicators, focusing on firm performance, workforce characteristics, infrastructure, trade, access to finance, crime, informality, and regulatory challenges. The survey covers non-agricultural, formal, private firms in Sweden, with data collected from 600 firms between January and November 2014. The findings highlight the business environment challenges and opportunities for firms in Sweden.

Main Topics Covered

• Firm Characteristics
• Workforce
• Firm Performance
• Physical Infrastructure
• International Trade
• Access to Finance
• Crime and Informality
• Regulations, Permits, and Taxes
• Corruption
• Business Environment Obstacles

Key Findings

Firm Characteristics

• Average age of firms: 28.3 years
• Female ownership: 52.5% of firms have female participation in ownership
• Female top managers: 12.5% of firms have female top managers
• Female workforce proportion: 34.5% of permanent full-time workers are female
• Informal sector: Only 29.7% of firms report competing against unregistered or informal firms

Workforce

• Formal training: 70.3% of firms offer formal training
• Training intensity: 71.4% of workers receive formal training
• Top manager experience: Average of 23.7 years in the firm’s sector
• Workforce size:
  • Permanent full-time workers: 39.5 (Sweden), 8.6 (Small), 41.0 (Medium), 244.1 (Large)
  • Temporary workers: 5.5 (Sweden), 3.5 (Small), 5.5 (Medium), 21.0 (Large)
  • Permanent production workers: 33.1 (Sweden), 6.7 (Small), 21.2 (Medium), 235.4 (Large)
  • Permanent non-production workers: 17.8 (Sweden), 2.7 (Small), 11.6 (Medium), 132.1 (Large)
  • Skilled vs. unskilled production workers: 16.7% skilled, 8.0% unskilled (Sweden), with 20.3% of all production workers being unskilled

Firm Performance

• Real annual sales growth: 0.6% (Sweden), -1.3% (Small), 2.9% (Medium), -0.5% (Large)
• Annual employment growth: 1.3% (Sweden), -0.4% (Small), 3.1% (Medium), 2.2% (Large)

Physical Infrastructure

• Electricity outages: 0.4 per month (Sweden), 0.0 (Small), 0.0 (Medium), 0.9 (Large)
• Losses due to electricity outages: 0.1% (Sweden), 0.2% (High income)
• Days to obtain an electrical connection: 24.3 (Sweden), 16.8 (Small), 30.2 (Medium), n.a. (Large)

International Trade

• Direct exports: 31.3% of firms export directly or indirectly (at least 1% of sales)
• Days to clear exports through customs: 2.4 (Sweden), 2.7 (Small), 1.9 (Medium), 3.5 (High income)
• Days to clear imports through customs: 2.1 (Sweden), 2.5 (Small), 1.7 (Medium), 2.2 (High income)
• Use of foreign inputs: 83.5% of firms use foreign material inputs or supplies

Access to Finance

• Checking/savings accounts: 97.7% of firms have these accounts
• Bank loans: 35.5% of firms have a bank loan or line of credit
• Internal financing: 75.9% of investment is internally financed
• Bank financing: 12.0% of investment is financed by banks
• Supplier credit: 0.9% of investment is financed by supplier credit
• Equity/stock sales: 2.0% of investment is financed by equity or stock sales

Crime and Informality

• Security costs: 0.4% of annual sales (Sweden), 0.3% (Small), 0.4% (Medium), 0.6% (Large)
• Losses due to theft/vandalism: 0.3% of annual sales (Sweden), 0.2% (Small), 0.4% (Medium), 0.3% (Large)
• Informal competition: 29.7% of firms report competition from informal firms

Regulations, Permits, and Taxes

• Time spent on regulatory compliance: 4.9% (Sweden), 5.1% (Small), 4.3% (Medium), 7.4% (Large)
• Visits to tax officials: 0.1 (Sweden), 0.0 (Small), 0.2 (Medium), 0.5 (Large)
• Days to obtain an import license: 11.1 (Sweden), n.a. (Small), 12.2 (Medium), 28.0 (Large)
• Days to obtain a construction-related permit: 128.5 (Sweden), 78.4 (Small), 103.2 (Medium), 394.8 (Large)
• Days to obtain an operating license: 26.2 (Sweden), 9.2 (Small), 24.2 (Medium), 126.0 (Large)
• Tax rates: 6.1% (Sweden), 6.5% (Small), 4.5% (Medium), 14.5% (Large)

Corruption

• Bribery incidence: 1.9% of firms (Sweden), 4.6% (Small), 0.1% (Medium), 0.9% (Large)
• Gifts for construction permits: 1.7% of firms (Sweden), 4.3% (Small), 0.2% (Medium), 0.0% (Large)
• Gifts to secure government contracts: 0.0% (Sweden), 0.0% (Small), 0.0% (Medium), 0.0% (Large)
• Gifts in meetings with tax officials: 0.3% (Sweden), 0.0% (Small), 0.0% (Medium), 0.9% (Large)

Business Environment Obstacles

• Top obstacles:
  • Access to finance: 6.7% (Sweden), 9.2% (Small), 2.8% (Medium), 17.2% (Large)
  • Access to land: 10.5% (Sweden), 7.6% (Small), 14.6% (Medium), 0.5% (High income)
  • Business licenses and permits: 1.2% (Sweden), 1.8% (Small), 0.7% (Medium), 0.0% (Large)
  • Corruption: 0.9% (Sweden), 1.8% (Small), 0.1% (Medium), 0.0% (Large)
  • Crime, theft, and disorder: 8.3% (Sweden), 11.9% (Small), 6.0% (Medium), 0.0% (Large)
  • Customs and trade regulations: 0.4% (Sweden), 0.1% (Small), 0.5% (Medium), 1.4% (High income)
  • Inadequately educated workforce: 27.8% (Sweden), 26.3% (Small), 29.3% (Medium), 27.9% (High income)
  • Labor regulations: 17.5% (Sweden), 7.1% (Small), 25.0% (Medium), 36.5% (High income)
  • Political instability: 8.7% (Sweden), 6.5% (Small), 12.0% (Medium), 0.6% (High income)
  • Practices of the informal sector: 7.0% (Sweden), 11.1% (Small), 4.0% (Medium), 0.4% (Large)
  • Tax administration: 0.2% (Sweden), 0.0% (Small), 0.3% (Medium), 0.0% (Large)
  • Tax rates: 6.1% (Sweden), 6.5% (Small), 4.5% (Medium), 14.5% (Large)
  • Transportation: 4.7% (Sweden), 10.0% (Small), 0.1% (Medium), 0.9% (High income)

Summary of Survey Design

• Firms excluded:
  • Less than 5 employees
  • 100% state-owned firms
• Firms included:
  • 5 to 19 employees (small)
  • 20 to 99 employees (medium)
  • 100 or more employees (large)
• Sectors covered:
  • Manufacturing (all subsectors)
  • Construction
  • Motor vehicles sales and repair
  • Wholesale
  • Retail
  • Hotels and restaurants
  • Storage, transportation, and communications
  • IT
• Excluded sectors:
  • Agriculture
  • Fishing
  • Mining
  • Public utilities
  • Government services
  • Health care
  • Financial services

Conclusion

The Sweden 2014 Enterprise Survey provides a comprehensive overview of the business environment, emphasizing the role of infrastructure, trade, finance, and regulations in shaping firm performance. While Sweden generally performs well in terms of formal registration, access to finance, and infrastructure, challenges such as corruption, crime, and informal sector practices still exist and affect business operations. The survey highlights the importance of transparent regulations, efficient tax systems, and effective infrastructure in fostering a supportive environment for private sector growth.