Computer Services in Sweden—Markets, Labour Qualifications and Patterns of Location

ABSTRACT

In this paper the patterns of growth and location of computer services in Sweden is discussed. Computer services have been expanding rapidly during the last two decades. In Sweden, computer services are strongly concentrated to the metropolitan regions of Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö. There are, however, clear tendencies of a decentralization process during the 1980s. On the receiving side are a number of regional administrative centres and industrial cities in other parts of the country. In relation to this pattern, two questions are investigated. First, it is concluded that the locational pattern is to a large degree consistent with market size at a regional (county) level, indicating the importance of proximity to customers. Secondly, it is shown that the educational level of the work-force does not conform to any clear or simple pattern of regional polarization. In fact, the workforce in the larger metropolitan areas in Sweden is not better educated than in other parts of the country. The basic rationale behind a more equal regional distribution of labour skills in the computer service industry, is probably that most of the spatial expansion can be characterized as a market capturing strategy, whereas spatial decentralization in manufacturing industry more often is motivated by labour cost savings.