Consulting

Everybody wants consulting

The consultancy industry is also often referred to as the knowledge service industry. As the consultancy industry comprise of companies engaged in various industries, it can be troublesome to define the industry’s precise extent. Firstly, consultancy companies provide various companies with advices and knowledge services, and secondly, many consultancy companies are to different extends invested in companies across industries.

10,000 more companies in five years
The consultancy industry is defined as 10 sub-industries, namely IT consultants, information services, insurance and pensions, financial services, real estate, audit and accounting companies, management consultants, architects and consulting engineers, advertising and analysis agency and the residual category "other knowledge services ". In 2008, the consultancy industry comprised of more than 42,000 companies, which is approx. 1/3 more than in 2000.¹

IT and insurance is greatest 
The sizes of the 10 sub-industries throughout in the period 2000 to 2008. Especially the financial service companies (an increase of 128%), business consultants (an increase of 104%), IT-consultants (an increase of 47 %) and the category "other knowledge services" (a 43% increase) grew.  Simultaniously, there were also significantly fewer companiess in the insurance and pensions sub-industry (a 35% reduction). Most other sub-industries could record a modest growth or a modest decrease in the number of companys.²

Turnover increase despite crisis 
Turnover in the consultancy industry has grown over the last decade. In 2000 the industry generated turnover of DKK 139 bn., which has increased 74% to DKK 242 bn. in 2008.³

Turnover in the industry was fairly stable until 2003 and then grew dramatically. Noticeable is also that the industry has not experienced large decrease in turnover in 2008 as the financial crisis hit, however 2009 figures may tell a different tale.

A national trade 
The consultancy industry is largely a domestic industry in the sense that exports as a percentage of turnover is fairly constant and on a relatively low level. From 2000 to 2008, exports averaged just below 15% of the total industry turnover, and fluctuations have been limited.⁴

Large growth in staff 
The strong growth in both the number of companies in the industry and the industry's total turnover is also reflected in employment in the industry which also grew significantly in the period 2000 to 2008. As such, the industry full-time employment rate increased approx. 27% from 2000 to 2008.⁵

Growth in the number of fulltime employees in the industry has not been constant but follows the same fluctuations as turnover, with a fairly constant and slightly lower level over the period 2000 to 2003, after which they experienced a strong growth.

¹ Statistikbanken, GF2. 
² Statistikbanken, GF2. 
³ Statistikbanken, GF2 (current prices).
⁴ Statistikbanken, GF2.
⁵ Statistikbanken, GF2.

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