Press Release 12/07/2024
INFORMATION SOCIETY SURVEY. COMPANIES. 2024
Use of the Internet of Things was present in 30.1% of companies with 10 or more employees in the Basque Country in 2024
11.0% of people employed in Basque companies worked remotely in 2024, 5 tenths more than in 2023
Use of the Internet of Things was seen in 30.1% of companies with 10 or more employees in the Basque Country in 2024, according to Eustat data.
However, the top Industry 4.0 indicator of the nine analysed was the use of social media for business purposes, with 76.5%, following an increase of 15.9% over the last six years.
Next was paid Cloud Computing Services, with 57.3% of establishments paying for this service in order to access company information or services through an internet connection from any mobile or fixed device in any location. This figure stood at 66% in 2019. In third place was Cyber Security Activities, with 54.1% in establishments with 10 or more employees, up 26.4% on the percentage six years earlier.
In addition, with percentages ranging from 10% to 30%, were Mobile Applications for clients, with 28.2%; Big Data Analysis, which reached 26.0%; Artificial Intelligence, 12.2%; Robotics, 11.5%; and 3D Printers, 10.4%.
For all establishments as a whole (including those with fewer than ten employees), these percentages were significantly lower, particularly with regard to the use of Social Media for business purposes and the use of paid Cloud Computing Services, dropping to 53.8% and 31.7%, respectively, in establishments of this size. Relatively close to the latter percentage was Cyber Security Activities, with 25.4%.
Indicators of the industry 4.0 in the establishments of the Basque country according to employment strata. 2024
| | All businesses | Establishments of 10 or more employees |
| Use of social media for business purposes | 53,8 | 76,5 |
| Use of paid cloud computing services | 31,7 | 57,3 |
| Using Business Mobile Apps | 15,1 | 28,2 |
| Use of the internet of things (IoT) | 13,7 | 30,1 |
| Cybersecurity activities | 25,4 | 54,1 |
| Analysis of aggregate (Big Data) | 12,5 | 26,0 |
| Use of artificial intelligence systems | 7,4 | 12,2 |
| Use of 3D printers | 2,9 | 10,4 |
| Use of Robotics | 2,6 | 11,5 |
Date July 12, 2024
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
53.8% of Basque establishments used social media for business purposes
53.8% of Basque establishments used Social Media for business purposes, participating on both social networks (48.6%) and company blogs (18.4%), as well as websites for sharing multimedia content (29.9%).
This 53.8% rose to 76.5% in establishments with 10 or more employees: participation on social networks stood at 68.9% for establishments of this size, while this figure was 34.1% for company blogs and 52.4% in the case of websites for sharing content.
More than half (57.3%) of establishments with 10 or more employees used paid cloud computing services
57.3% of establishments with 10 or more employees used paid cloud computing services. Standing out among these services were: email (as a cloud computing service), 49.0%; file storage, 44.6%; and office automation programs (word processors or spreadsheets), 43.7%. Next, with more than 30%, we can also highlight security applications (antivirus or network access control programs), 37.7%; hosting company databases, 37.4%; and the computing capacity for operating the company’s own computer tools, 31.0%.
Computer services "in the cloud" of payment in establishments with 10 or more employees of the Basque Country according to branch of activity (%). 2023. 2024
| | Total | Industry | Construction | Services |
| Computer services "in the cloud" of payment | 57,3 | 55,4 | 43,4 | 59,0 |
| Email (as a cloud service) | 49,0 | 46,2 | 34,5 | 51,0 |
| Office automation programs (word processors or spreadsheets) | 43,7 | 37,3 | 32,3 | 46,5 |
| Financial management or accounting applications | 28,4 | 27,3 | 17,4 | 29,6 |
| Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Applications | 25,1 | 26,0 | 15,6 | 25,6 |
| Customer relationship management (CRM) applications | 27,6 | 16,8 | 15,9 | 31,6 |
| Security applications (antivirus program or network access control) | 37,7 | 37,1 | 37,2 | 38,0 |
| Hosting company databases | 37,4 | 33,9 | 25,7 | 39,4 |
| File storage | 44,6 | 41,3 | 25,5 | 47,1 |
| Computing capacity for the operation of enterprise software | 31,0 | 25,7 | 18,6 | 33,5 |
| Platform for application development, testing and deployment | 21,5 | 11,7 | 22,8 | 24,2 |
Date July 12, 2024
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
The use of Big Data reached 26.0% of establishments with 10 or more employees in 2024
Big Data analysis reached 26.0% of establishments with 10 or more employees. It is of particular note that it was used by a high percentage of establishments in the services sector, 28.8%; industrial establishments, 16.2%; and construction, 26.9%.
Particularly noteworthy among the data analysed were those from operational registries (details of sales, payment registers), 17.8%; followed by client data (information regarding purchases, location, preferences, etc.), 15.8%. Next were data obtained on the website, 12.4%; data from portable devices or vehicles, 9.0%; and data gathered from social networks, 8.8%.
Analysis of Big Data in establishments with 10 or more employees in the Basque Country according to branch of activity (%). 2024
| | Total | Industry | Construction | Services |
| Analysis of aggregate (Big Data) | 26,0 | 16,2 | 26,9 | 28,8 |
| Transaction log data, such as sales details, payment records | 17,8 | 12,7 | 16,9 | 19,4 |
| Customer data (information about purchases, location, preferences, reviews or searches) | 15,8 | 9,0 | 14,9 | 17,8 |
| Social media data, including company own social media profiles | 8,8 | 3,2 | 0,0 | 11,2 |
| Web data (search engine trends, web page scraping) | 12,4 | 4,1 | 0,0 | 15,8 |
| Location data from the use of portable devices or vehicles | 9,0 | 3,7 | 18,9 | 9,7 |
| Data from smart devices or sensors | 8,6 | 7,7 | 10,5 | 8,7 |
| Open data from public authorities (public records, meteorology, transport, housing...) | 7,9 | 1,7 | 8,3 | 9,7 |
| Satellite data (excluding GPS location) | 2,1 | 0,9 | 0,0 | 2,6 |
Date July 12, 2024
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
11.0% of people employed in Basque companies worked remotely in 2024
In 2024, 11.0% of staff at Basque companies worked off company premises for at least half of the working day on a regular basis, using telematic networks to connect to the company’s ICT (Information Communication Technology) systems, and can therefore be considered remote workers. This figure was up 6 tenths on that recorded for the previous year (10.6%).
Furthermore, on average, we find that 79.5% of employees used ICT (Information & Communication Technology) systems and 10.7% were ICT specialists. Additionally, 43.2% had a remote connection via a portable device for professional use.
If these staff are analysed by gender, it is worth noting that, except for ICT specialists, where the percentage of men (65.9%) was higher than that of women (34.1%), in the other categories mentioned the percentages were very similar, with a share of around 50%.
ICT personnel employed in the establishments of the Basque Country by province and branch of activity (%). 2024
| | ICT users | ICT specialists | Employees with remote connection | Remote workers |
| | Total | Women | Men | Total | Women | Men | Total | Women | Men | Total | Women | Men |
| Basque Country | 79,5 | 49,8 | 50,2 | 10,7 | 34,1 | 65,9 | 43,2 | 48,1 | 51,9 | 11,0 | 49,8 | 50,2 |
| Araba/Álava | 78,3 | 49,9 | 50,1 | 8,7 | 34,0 | 66,0 | 37,4 | 48,0 | 52,0 | 8,8 | 54,4 | 45,6 |
| Bizkaia | 78,9 | 50,3 | 49,7 | 11,5 | 34,0 | 66,0 | 44,7 | 48,9 | 51,1 | 11,9 | 49,1 | 50,9 |
| Gipuzkoa | 81,1 | 49,0 | 51,0 | 10,7 | 34,2 | 65,8 | 43,8 | 46,8 | 53,2 | 10,7 | 48,5 | 51,5 |
| Branch of activity | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Industry | 71,0 | 30,7 | 69,3 | 4,5 | 22,5 | 77,5 | 38,3 | 31,3 | 68,7 | 10,4 | 38,4 | 61,6 |
| Construction | 63,0 | 27,7 | 72,3 | 6,9 | 34,4 | 65,6 | 48,6 | 32,7 | 67,3 | 7,8 | 40,7 | 59,3 |
| Services | 83,1 | 56,8 | 43,2 | 12,7 | 37,6 | 62,4 | 44,2 | 54,2 | 45,8 | 11,4 | 54,8 | 45,2 |
Date July 12, 2024
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
Basque companies have already almost reached the maximum availability of main ICT equipment
As regards the ICT equipment of Basque companies, it is worth noting that they are becoming better prepared and the percentage of employees who use these technologies was also higher. Currently, 96.3% of establishments have a computer, 96.0% have Internet access and just over half of companies, 57.4%, have a website.
In establishments with 10 or more employees, these percentages in equipment have already almost reached their maximum. Thus, 99.4% have a computer, the same percentage (99.4%) have internet access, and 92.5% have a website, so unlike smaller establishments, there is almost no growth margin left.
Information technology equipment in establishments in the Basque Country by province and employment strata. 2024
| | Personal Computer | Internet | Web page |
| | % acc/business | % acc/job | % acc/business | % acc/job | % acc/business |
| Basque Country | 96,3 | 77,5 | 96,0 | 74,9 | 57,4 |
| Araba/Álava | 96,8 | 74,6 | 96,8 | 70,3 | 55,2 |
| Bizkaia | 95,5 | 77,3 | 94,9 | 75,6 | 57,3 |
| Gipuzkoa | 97,2 | 79,4 | 97,4 | 76,0 | 58,4 |
| Employment strata | | | | | |
| From 0 to 9 | 96,0 | 80,6 | 95,7 | 81,0 | 53,8 |
| 10 or more | 99,4 | 76,2 | 99,4 | 72,1 | 92,5 |
Date July 12, 2024
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
As regards the percentage of employees using these technologies, 77.5% use a computer and 74.9% have Internet access.
Computer security is very widespread among Basque companies
Furthermore, 92.0% of companies have some form of computer security measure. Standing out among these measures, above 30%, were updated software (89.4%), the use of secure passwords (86.3%), external backups (67.1%), network access control (44.6%), data encryption (37.0%) and using a virtual private network (VPN) (30.9%). In the case of companies with 10 or more employees, all these percentages were higher, with practically all (98.3%) establishments having some form of computer security.
57.4% of all Basque companies, and 92.5% of those with 10 or more employees, had an online presence via a website
Companies are giving more importance to maintaining a presence on the internet via a website. In the last year, those that had a web presence accounted for 57.4% of the total, whilst in companies with 10 or more employees this figure rose to 92.5%.
These websites provide general information on the company, a catalogue of products and services offered, a data privacy statement, job offers and after-sale services, amongst other options.
Regarding languages that they can be accessed in, Spanish particularly stood out, available in 98.8% of cases; Basque was available in 42.1% of cases; English in 27.9% and other languages in 12.9%.
Online presence and the use of social media in Basque companies with 10 or more employees exceeded the EU27 average
At the international level, and for perfect comparability with the EU27, the data that has to be employed is that for companies with 10 or more employees and the activities that Eurostat investigates (they do not take into account the financial sector, public administration, etc.). It also has to be taken into account that, despite Eustat having more recent information available, information from the previous year, 2023, must be used. This year, Basque companies with these characteristics obtained a higher percentage of companies with a website (89.9%) than the European Union 27 average (78.1%), in addition to making greater use of social media (68.7%) in the Basque Country in 2023, compared with the EU27 average of 60.9%.
NOTE
Eustat would like to thank all the companies and institutions that have collaborated in preparing this survey, the information for which was gathered between January and May 2024, with a response rate of 84.7%.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel.: 945 01 75 62