The technology sector continues to grow in Catalonia despite the unfavorable global situation. According to the Barometer of the technological sector of Catalonia, the billing forecast for companies is 23,500 million euros in 2022, which represents an increase of 4.4% compared to the previous year. They are estimates since the official Idescat figures only include up to the 2020 financial year.
The study, published this morning, calculates that the turnover is equivalent to 9% of Catalonia's GDP, a relevant percentage but somewhat lower than that of 2021 since other sectors, such as tourism, have recovered from the pandemic and have contributed a higher turnover in the total GDP of the community.
The study also ensures that the business fabric has continued to strengthen since the number of new companies has increased by 5.5% to 17,811. It is a growth that has not stopped registering in the last decade and a half and that suggests that 2023 will close with more than 18,000 technology firms.
As regards employment, the number of workers stood at 123,700, which represents an increase of 8.9% over the previous year and 18.8% of all technological employment in Spain. The figures reflect the boom in the sector experienced in the first half of 2022 and the low incidence of large cuts by technological multinationals since they have little implementation in the territory. However, the number of jobs is lower than that of 2020, which recorded a record of 190,000 workers due to the rise of the digital sector during the pandemic. According to the barometer, the number of workers will continue to increase this year, since 60% of the companies surveyed plan to hire new workers.
The report points out that a pending issue is the percentage of women working in the sector, stagnating around 25%. For Gina Tost, Secretary of Digital Policies, the problem cannot be solved in the short term, despite the fact that "companies have put their batteries into action", since it must be affected from an early age in schools and the effect will take years to be seen. At the press conference held this morning, Joan Ramon Barrera, president of Cercle Tecnològic, added that now the technology sector is mature enough to assume "greater social responsibility" and work in favor of values such as equality, sustainability or humanism.
