The Riksbank’s Business Survey: Towards the “new normal”?

"Slowly on the way to recovery"

For many companies, demand has increased more rapidly than expected. But capacity utilisation in the industrial sector is generally still lower than before the pandemic. And despite some recovery, the situation is still difficult for sectors such as tourism. In general, the major Swedish companies think that it will take a long time before the economic situation is back to anything like its pre-pandemic level.

The pandemic is driving companies towards the "new normal"

The pandemic has initiated and accelerated behavioural changes among households, in, for example, the way we shop, work and meet, and this is expected to lead to permanent changes in demand. Several companies call the new situation in the economy the “new normal”. The technical prerequisites for this adjustment have been in place for a long time, but the pandemic has forced companies to adjust their operations to be able to meet a new demand.

The pandemic has also made industrial companies realise that their supply chains, i.e. the localisation of suppliers and associated logistics, might not be the most reliable. The pandemic may therefore result in a transition towards companies having suppliers in closer proximity.

"We don’t cut down on something that may jeopardise the future"

In the spring, when uncertainty was at its greatest, many companies paused their investment plans. Many have now been resumed, albeit in somewhat modified form. Investments in research and development and in new technology are being prioritised. E‑Commerce, which has clearly increased during the pandemic, also requires further investment in order to be more profitable.

"We are positive to the state support measures on offer"

The major companies have found it easier to obtain funding since the spring. They have good access to liquidity and funding terms are perceived to be favourable. Companies are generally positive about the state support measures introduced as a result of the pandemic crisis, regardless of whether they have utilised them or not. In some sectors, there is still a need for support measures, but overall, the need is not considered to be as great now as at the beginning of the pandemic.