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Diari de Catalunya

Technological employment in Catalonia grows 45% in a decade, but maintains gender gap

Catalonia's tech sector has added over 100,000 affiliates in ten years, reaching 9.1% of the total, despite low female representation.

Generic image of hands collaborating on a tablet with code, symbolizing technological work.
IA

Generic image of hands collaborating on a tablet with code, symbolizing technological work.

The technological sector in Catalonia has experienced significant growth over the last decade, adding over 100,000 new affiliates and now representing 9.1% of the total, according to a study by the COTEC Foundation.

This increase, which saw the number of tech affiliates rise from 247,686 in 2015 to 353,777 in 2025, reflects a 45% growth in ten years. In fact, 23% of the new tech jobs created in Spain during this period were in Catalonia. Despite this momentum, the sector remains predominantly male, with women representing only 35% of total affiliates.
The situation is even more pronounced in areas such as programming and technological consulting, which has grown by 67% in ten years and has 116,767 affiliates, but where female presence drops to 31%. This figure contrasts with the Spanish average of 32.7% women in the tech sector and the 47.6% overall female employment in Catalonia.
By province, Barcelona leads technological employment in Catalonia with 10.4% of its Social Security affiliates, ranking third nationally, behind Gipuzkoa and Madrid. In contrast, Tarragona (6%), Girona (5.36%), and Lleida (3.67%) are below the Spanish average of 6.9%.
The study also highlights a "close relationship" between a territory's average income and the proportion of technological employment. Barcelona, with an annual income exceeding 25,000 euros, exemplifies this correlation. At the municipal level, Amer (Selva) and Santa Oliva (Baix Penedès) stand out with 71% and 47% of affiliates in tech companies, respectively, thanks to the presence of companies like Hipra and Applus + Idiada.
A previous report by Acció had already identified Barcelona as the second most attractive city globally for foreign investment in R&D, with 28,122 digital and technological companies in Catalonia generating 41.495 billion euros in 2024. The region has attracted 9.323 billion euros in foreign investment in the technological and digital sectors over the last five years.

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