Rana is Northern Norway’s Largest Export Municipality

The industries associated with Mo Industrial Park employ just under 2,900 people, have a turnover of 15 billion Norwegian kroner, and export for 9.4 billion kroner. This makes Rana the largest export municipality in Northern Norway in terms of mainland exports.

This is highlighted in a report by Kunnskapsparken Bodø, commissioned by Rana Utvikling (Rana Development) and Mo Industripark (Mo Industrial Park). The report also shows that Rana is where the majority of new jobs are created in the Helgeland region. Between 2018-2022, net job creation in Rana was 605 jobs, which is more than the entire Helgeland region combined. This is primarily due to job creation in the private sector. Rana has among the lowest percentage of public sector employees in Helgeland.

The report was presented by Erlend Bullvåg from Kunnskapsparken Bodø. He highlighted, among other things, significant growth in turnover and exports from the industry in Rana, and that Mo i Rana is an important ’employer’ for people from neighboring municipalities. At the same time, he warned that the labor market in Rana is more gender-divided than the average in Nordland county.

‘Businesses in Rana need to look at how they can recruit more women. That’s my request to the local industry,’ he said during the presentation of the report on Friday January 5.

Kim-André Åsheim, VP Strategic Communications and Public Affairs at Mo Industripark, is delighted that the industry is doing well in Rana.

‘The turnover in the industry has grown by 119 percent since 2017, to 15.2 billion kroner in 2022. That is formidable, and shows how important the industry is for both Rana and the region,’ says Åsheim. ‘The fact that Rana is Northern Norway’s largest export municipality in mainland export clearly demonstrates the important societal role that the industry plays for the region,’ he concludes.

The report can be downloaded here.

Disclaimer: This article has been translated from its original Norwegian version using Chat GPT. Although it has been carefully proofread prior to publication, in case of any discrepancies or errors, the Norwegian version shall be considered the authoritative text.