No 169: Who do High-growth Firms Employ, and Who do they Hire?

Alex Coad, Sven-Olov Daunfeldt, Dan Johansson och Karl Wennberg
Juni 2011

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to study who high-growth firms (HGFs) hire using a matched employer-employee dataset for all knowledge intensive industries in Sweden, where high growth is measured over the period 1999-2002. The results indicate that HGFs to a larger extent employ young people, immigrants, and individuals with longer unemployment periods. However, these patterns seem contingent on the stage of firm evolution. HGFs that have already realized rapid growth seem to start focusing on hiring individuals from other companies, even though immigrants are still overrepresented among new employees.

Keywords: Gazelles, firm growth, rapid firm growth, high-impact firms.

JEL-codes: D24; L25; L26

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