Press Release 23/12/2015
159,000 companies were operating in the Basque Country at the start of 2015
The most dynamic stratum is that of fewer than three employees, which accounted for 91.5% of openings and 90.6% of closures
In early 2015, 158,810 companies operated in the Basque Country in various sectors of economic activity and traded in 176,384 establishments (factories, shops and offices), according to Eustat data.
By activity sector, the number of establishments increased compared to the previous year in the sectors of Public Administration, Education & Health (3.9%), Information & Communications (3.7%), Other Services (2.8%) and Professional & Auxiliary Activities (1.1%). On the other hand, there was a notable decrease in the number of establishments within the Primary sector (-7.5%), the Industrial sector (-2.3%) and the Construction sector (-2.2%). The overall balance for the establishments as a whole was down 0.3%.
The largest sector was Trade, Transport and Hotel Management & Catering, with 38.3% of all establishments, followed by Professional Activities and Support Services (16.1%) and Construction (11.9%).
Throughout 2014, the distribution of establishments according to their size remained very similar to the previous year. Barely 2,247 establishments, 1.3% of the total, had 50 or more employees, despite accounting for 38.9% of the total. On the other hand, 132,023 establishments, almost three-quarters of the total, employed less than 3 people and accounted for just 19.3% of all individuals in work.
As regards the average size of the establishments by branch of activity, the greatest concentration of employed individuals was recorded in Industry, Energy and Sewerage, both in terms of the Basque Country overall, with an average size of 14.1 employees per establishment, and at provincial level, with Álava standing out with 17.9, and the average size in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa being 12.6 and 14.0 employees per establishment, respectively. The average size of the establishments in the Public Administration, Education and Health sector was also noteworthy, standing at 14.6 in Álava, 10.2 in Bizkaia and 10.7 in Gipuzkoa.
COMPANIES
Of the total of companies, legal units that provide support for the establishments' activities, 97.7% were based in the Basque Country and 3,689 in the rest of the State. Bizkaia, with 80,321 companies, contributed just over half; Gipuzkoa 53,497 (33.6%) and Álava 21,303 (13.4%).
The average size of companies in the Basque Country remained stable, with 5.3 employees per company and 4.8 per establishment. The analysis by legal status reveals, however, noticeable differences. Companies under individual ownership only had 1.4 employees, both per company and establishment, whereas for the other legal forms these averages reached 11.0 and 8.9 employees per company and establishment, respectively.
BUSINESS DEMOGRAPHICS
The greatest rotation was seen in the branches of Trade, Transportation and Hotel Management & Catering, with 31.0% of new openings and 33.6% of closures; 17.0% of new openings and 19.4% of closures in Construction; and Professional Activities and Support Services, with figures of 18.8% and 16.2%, respectively. All of this gave a negative total net balance of 495 establishments.
In the analysis of demography by legal status, the establishments created under the individual ownership formula stand out for having generated 66.6% of new openings and 67.5% of closures.
In terms of individuals employed, individually-owned establishments accounted for 43.1% of jobs created and 38.7% of jobs lost. Following these, Limited Companies accounted for 30.1% of jobs created and 32.4% of jobs lost.
In terms of establishment size, the most dynamic stratum was that of 2 employees or under, as has become the norm. This stratum alone accounted for 91.5% of all registrations and 90.6% of all closures.
On the contrary, the stratum of Large Stores, those with 50 or more employees, only accounted for 0.1% of all establishments opened and the 0.2% all closures. On the other hand, it accounted for 8.5% of all jobs created and 13.3% if all jobs lost.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tlf: 945 01 75 62
Further press releases on the Economic activities directory in the Basque Country
Database on the Economic activities directory in the Basque Country