Business development in Sør-Varanger
How jobs have changed, where the municipality is exposed, and which industries are related to its strengths. The figures show relationships, not recommendations. Back to Sør-Varanger
Change in jobs 2020–2025
The number of jobs in Sør-Varanger changed by +84 (+1.7%) from 2020 to 2025, against +8.7% in Norway. The table splits the change in three parts.
| Part | Jobs | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| National growth | +437 | If every industry in the municipality had grown like jobs in Norway (+8.7%). |
| Industry mix | +9 | Added or lost because the municipality has many jobs in industries growing faster or slower than Norway. |
| Local conditions | −362 | The rest: the industries did better or worse here than the same industries in Norway. |
| Total change | +84 | From 5,003 to 5,087 jobs in the industries included. |
Industries that did better here than in Norway
| Industry (SN2007) | Change | Growth here | Growth in Norway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sosiale omsorgstjenester uten botilbud 88 | +66 | +26% | +2% |
| Oppføring av bygninger 41 | +55 | +62% | −3% |
| Offentlig administrasjon og forsvar, og trygdeordninger underlagt offentlig forvaltning 84 | +125 | +15% | +9% |
| Overnattingsvirksomhet 55 | +68 | +100% | +46% |
| Fiske, fangst og akvakultur 03 | +30 | +38% | +18% |
Industries that did worse here than in Norway
| Industry (SN2007) | Change | Growth here | Growth in Norway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undervisning 85 | −102 | −21% | +4% |
| Spesialisert bygge- og anleggsvirksomhet 43 | −71 | −25% | +4% |
| Helsetjenester 86 | +20 | +3% | +13% |
| Arbeidskrafttjenester 78 | −80 | −87% | −12% |
| Detaljhandel, unntatt med motorvogner 47 | −40 | −11% | +4% |
Employed persons by workplace and industry (SN2007, 2-digit), 4th quarter (SSB 13470). The tables are sorted by local conditions: the change beyond what national growth and the industry mix explain. 2 industries without figures in both years are left out.
How dependent is the municipality on a few industries?
- Share of jobs in the three largest industries
- 41%
- Median in the municipality group: 31%
- Industries with jobs
- 58
- Concentration (HHI, 0–10,000)
- 806
- Median in the municipality group: 608
Jobs are more concentrated in a few industries than in similar municipalities.
The largest company we follow with its business address in the municipality has 1,424 employees in the whole company: HURTIGRUTEN SJØ AS.
HHI is the sum of squared shares: a higher number means jobs are concentrated in fewer industries. Employees count the whole company, not only jobs in the municipality.
Strengths and related industries
The municipality has a larger share of jobs than Norway in: Fiske, fangst og akvakultur, Bryting av metallholdig malm, Produksjon av elektrisk utstyr, Reparasjon og installasjon av maskiner og utstyr, Oppføring av bygninger, Handel med og reparasjon av motorvogner, Lagring og andre tjenester tilknyttet transport, Post og distribusjonsvirksomhet. and 6 more.
| Industry (SN2007) | Closeness to the municipality's strengths | Most related to |
|---|---|---|
| Produksjon av nærings- og nytelsesmidler 10 | 28% | Fiske, fangst og akvakultur, Overnattingsvirksomhet, Oppføring av bygninger |
| Sjøfart 50 | 28% | Fiske, fangst og akvakultur, Overnattingsvirksomhet, Reparasjon og installasjon av maskiner og utstyr |
| Elektrisitets-, gass-, damp- og varmtvannsforsyning 35 | 27% | Overnattingsvirksomhet, Tjenester tilknyttet eiendomsdrift, Handel med og reparasjon av motorvogner |
| Detaljhandel, unntatt med motorvogner 47 | 26% | Overnattingsvirksomhet, Handel med og reparasjon av motorvogner, Oppføring av bygninger |
| Landtransport og rørtransport 49 | 26% | Tjenester tilknyttet eiendomsdrift, Handel med og reparasjon av motorvogner, Oppføring av bygninger |
Related industries often appear together with the municipality's strengths in other municipalities, are not a strength here, and grow in Norway. Closeness shows how much of what usually comes with the industry the municipality already has. It is a starting point for questions, not a recommendation.
The companies driving growth
- HURTIGRUTEN SJØ AS +145 MNOK in revenue in 2025 (+16%)
- SUNDQUIST AS +98 MNOK in revenue in 2025 (+390,619%)
- BARENTS MARINE AS +44 MNOK in revenue in 2025 (+32%)
- KIRKENES BIL AS +44 MNOK in revenue in 2025 (+30%)
- EURO SKO NORD AS +25 MNOK in revenue in 2025 (+115%)
Companies in the sectors we follow, with their business address in the municipality, sorted by the increase in revenue from the year before (NOK accounts only).
Indications based on open data. Not advice. Methodology
Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 13470. CC BY 4.0. Company figures: our calculations from annual accounts (Brønnøysund Register Centre).