“In turbulent markets, we benefit from spreading our investments across different areas at home and abroad. This stabilises returns and provides our customers with a generous profit,” says CEO Sverre Thornes.
So far this year, the pension assets in KLP’s common portfolio have grown by 3.9 per cent, while the value-adjusted return for the third quarter was minus 0.3 per cent. This gives a total profit of NOK 16 billion to customers so far this year. Despite market turmoil, KLP remains very solid, with a solvency capital ratio of 368 per cent.
Staff shortages, especially in the health sector
At KLP, we are tackling what is seen as one of the biggest challenges facing the company’s customers and owners; a shortage of manpower. As a pension provider, we do our utmost to provide good information about the value of working more and for longer. We want to help attract more people into the public sector professions. Among other things, we run promotional films featuring employees in the Norwegian local government and healthcare sector and ads linking to websites with job vacancies, and we participate in student fairs with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS), the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees and the Norwegian Nurses Organisation. It is pleasing to find young people showing great interest in these professions.
In close dialogue with its owners, KLP develops local businesses throughout Norway
KLP has owners and customers all over the country, and has a responsibility to see how the pension capital that we manage can contribute to value creation at the local level. For three years now, we have been working with professional investment managers and business developers to help entrepreneurs to move from the ideas stage to establishing a business. We have worked with 46 start-ups, and 35 of them have received capital from various sources as a result of these processes.
“It is very inspiring to see the diversity of knowledge and commitment that we encounter around the country, and to be able to help good ideas to come to fruition under Norwegian ownership,” says Thornes.