Catalonia's economic growth is already affecting residents, workers and small firms in Barcelona: leaders at a business forum on Tuesday said keeping jobs, investment and public services growing now depends on whether the region can hold on to talent, help small companies scale up and reduce pressure on transport and public space.

At the second Catalunya, destí inversor forum in central Barcelona, speakers from the Generalitat de Catalunya, banks, business groups and the Barcelona metropolitan authority said the economy is performing strongly, but warned that productivity and talent retention are now the main constraints. Catalonia's GDP rose 3.6% in 2025, according to Idescat, and provisional foreign trade data show exports exceeded 100 billion euros in 2025.

For readers in Barcelona and the wider metropolitan area, the practical stakes are clear: more stable local hiring, pressure on housing and transport around growth sectors, and continued debate over how tourism is managed in places such as the city centre, the waterfront and major transport gateways.

"Los datos son positivos. Estamos creciendo mucho más que la media de los países de la zona euro."Alícia Romero, Catalonia's economy minister

Alícia Romero, the economy and finance minister in the Catalan government, said Catalonia had received the largest share of Next Generation EU funds among Spain's autonomous communities. The territorial distribution of tourism-related Next Generation funds was published in the BOE, Spain's official state gazette.

Idescat's 2025 advance estimate and annual accounts show continued expansion in the Catalan economy. That supports Romero's claim of strong recent growth, though comparisons with the euro area at the forum were political statements rather than figures published in the event programme.

Forum speakers say growth now depends on productivity

Several speakers returned to the same problem. Growth has been strong, they said, but Catalonia needs to produce more value per worker and help more firms move beyond the micro-company stage.

Teresa García-Milà, president of the Cercle d'Economia, pointed to health, technology and quantum computing as sectors where Catalonia is already visible internationally. She cited the Barcelona Supercomputing Center as an example of an asset that helps attract foreign investment.

"Necesitamos un cambio de modelo para centrarnos en actividades de valor añadido."Teresa García-Milà, Cercle d'Economia

That matters locally because higher-value sectors tend to create more specialised jobs, support suppliers and professional services, and generate demand for training from universities and vocational colleges across Barcelona, the Vallès and the Baix Llobregat.

Josep Ginesta, secretary general of Pimec, the employers' group for small and medium-sized companies, argued for an "environment for growth" and said vocational education should play a larger role in addressing labour shortages. For parents, students and career changers, that points to more weight being placed on Formació Professional, the vocational training track widely used in Catalonia.

Micro-firms dominate the Catalan business base

One figure was repeated during the forum: 95% of Catalonia's productive fabric is made up of micro-enterprises, within a wider 99% share for small and medium-sized businesses. Speakers argued that this limits productivity and scale.

  • 95% of firms are micro-enterprises, according to figures cited at the forum.
  • 99% fall into the SME category.
  • Exports passed 100 billion euros in 2025, according to Idescat provisional trade data.

Romero said larger companies generally create more jobs and post stronger productivity. Xavier García Hornos, commercial director for business banking in CaixaBank's Barcelona territorial division, said the challenge for startups is to become profitable, structured companies with long-term financing.

For neighbourhood businesses and subcontractors, that can mean more local demand if firms grow and stay in Catalonia rather than relocating financing or operations abroad. It can also mean tougher competition for staff in districts where tech and health employers are already expanding.

Miguel Vicente, president of Tech Barcelona, said Barcelona remains one of Europe's preferred cities for investors and that a third of the talent working in the city's tech sector is international. His remarks at the forum were not accompanied by a direct public data citation in the event materials, so they should be treated as statements made at the conference.

Readers following the wider local debate on jobs, housing and business costs can find more about how BARNA handles sourcing and verification in our Source Transparency and Editorial Policy pages.

Tourism and mobility remain central to daily life in Barcelona

The forum's other major theme was tourism, especially how to manage visitor numbers without worsening congestion for residents. That issue is immediate for commuters using stations, roads and airport links, and for residents in heavily visited parts of the city.

Xavier Tiana of the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona, the metropolitan authority that coordinates services across Barcelona and nearby municipalities, said public space, water provision and long-term urban planning are central to making the territory competitive.

Ian Livesey of Moventis said the priority is to "order" visitor flows from airports, ports and railway stations towards hotels, leisure sites and other destinations. He argued that reducing congestion improves life for residents as well as the visitor experience.

"Reducir la congestión dentro de la ciudad es mejorar también la experiencia de sus habitantes."Ian Livesey, Moventis

For Barcelona residents, that translates into a familiar policy argument: if authorities spread arrivals better across time and place, pressure on central streets, roads and public transport could ease. If they do not, the burden remains concentrated in the same districts and entry points.

José Antonio Donaire, the Barcelona City Council commissioner for sustainable tourism management, said the city should focus on strategic sectors while maintaining international appeal. García-Milà also argued for a shift toward more sustainable tourism, without dismissing the sector's economic importance.

Public-private cooperation came up repeatedly in discussion of basic services. In Catalonia, that includes water, transport infrastructure and digital networks, all of which shape daily life for residents and the operating costs of local firms.

Lluís Jordan i Bayod, director general of Aigües de Sabadell, said Barcelona would not run out of water and described cooperation between public bodies and operators as essential under climate pressure and population growth. He added that Sabadell is the first Spanish city with a regenerated water concession.

Marta Rubi of Cellnex España said regulatory and administrative barriers can slow deployment and called for shared governance models to speed up urban infrastructure projects. That is relevant to residents because delays in these systems can affect mobile coverage, public works and the rollout of services tied to new housing or business areas.

The most immediate next step for readers who want to track whether these claims are borne out is to follow official data releases from Idescat and funding decisions published in the BOE, especially on growth, exports and EU fund allocation. Those are the public records behind the broad economic picture described at the forum.

Primary sources: Idescat (Statistical Institute of Catalonia), Idescat (Statistical Institute of Catalonia), Idescat (Statistical Institute of Catalonia), Idescat (Statistical Institute of Catalonia), Ministerio de la Presidencia, Relaciones con las Cortes y Memoria Democrática (BOE), EsadeEcPol (Center for Economic Policy, Esade), Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya), Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya), Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya). Reported by Source Text Link, World Bank Open Data, Secretaría de Estado de Turismo (referenced via CambiosLegales), FUNCAS (Fundación de las Cajas de Ahorros), CaixaBank Research, El Confidencial.