The arrival of new multinationals in Barcelona with the establishment of hubs, a term that refers to technology development centers, although often used incorrectly, is increasingly frequent. A constant trickle that has been accelerating in recent years, despite competition with other Spanish capitals such as Madrid and Malaga, and European ones such as Lisbon, London, Berlin, Paris or Amsterdam. This is according to a study prepared by the Mobile World Capital (MWCapital), with the collaboration of the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat. In 2017, there were about fifty digital technology development hubs installed in the city. Since then, almost 100 new centers have been added, reaching 140.
"The evolution has been spectacular, even exponential," defends the CEO of MWCapital, Francesc Fajula. The report details that the Catalan capital gained 14 hubs in 2023, which translated into the creation of 800 jobs and an economic impact of 80 million euros. There are mobility companies such as IRP Systems, Lufthansa and Volkswagen, but also health companies such as AstraZeneca, Towa Pharmaceutical and Oracle Health Sciences, or gaming companies such as NetEase, Rovio and SandSoft. The largest investments, led by AstraZeneca, Lufthansa and Oracle, are expected to hire 2,000 employees by the end of 2026. The rest of the centers are those announced by Arxada, LGT Private Banking, Telavox and Unnax.
The list is expected to soon include a new member, whose identity has not been disclosed. It has only been advanced that it is a Japanese multinational from the experience industries, an umbrella that encompasses sectors such as video games, audiovisual, tourism and leisure.
All in all, the 140 centers already installed in Barcelona invoice more than 2,500 million euros, with the forecast of reaching more than 3,600 million by 2026, a 43% increase. The average turnover of each of the hubs stands at 20 million euros, above the 16 million a year ago. On the other hand, the technology development centers present in the city employ 26,400 workers, a figure that is expected to grow to 36,600 in 2026. The average workforce is about 200 workers, also higher than the previous year, when it was 170.
In the second edition of the Tech Hubs Overview 2024 report, the definition of hub has been expanded to include those that are the result of foreign investment, either through the acquisition of existing companies or the construction of new centers, and taking into account the entire value chain, not just digital product development as a year ago ---those exclusively dedicated to sales remain excluded---. With this new criterion, the data published a year ago, when the presence of 96 tech hubs in Barcelona and its metropolitan area was reported, becomes 126.
The profile: app development, few women, with European capital and located in 22@
The largest tech centers correspond to sectors such as industrial machinery, food industries, health, and consulting and business services. However, the most popular sectors among these hubs are gaming (19%), software development (15%), and consulting and business services (14%). App development maintains its predominance over the technologies these centers work with, closely followed by API/Backend, systems architecture, and Frontend Developer. Despite this, deep tech technologies are gaining weight, present in almost 70% of the hubs, with a strong presence of artificial intelligence (AI).
The workforces of these centers remain too masculinized, with only 30% of workers being women. They are also characterized by the presence of many nationalities, with 56% of the hubs made up of employees from more than 10 countries, with Europeans and Latin Americans being the most represented.
Workforces remain too masculinized, with only 30% of workers being womenThe vast majority of the hubs detected by MWCapital are located in Barcelona and its neighboring cities.The Catalan capital keeps 76% of the total development centers, with half of them in 22@, and the metropolitan area 18%, with a prominent weight of Sant Cugat del Vallès, Cornellà de Llobregat and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. Only eighthubsthey are located beyond the 36 metropolitan municipalities, in towns such as Sitges with the Swedish Paradox Tinto, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda with the German Alstom, Mataró with the German Hartmann or La Vall de Bianya with the American Zoetis.
Parent companies from European countries account for 60% of investments in hubs in Barcelona, although the United States is the country that most bets on the establishment of centers in the Catalan capital, being the origin of almost 30%. Behind are Germany (17%), France (11%), the United Kingdom (8%), Switzerland (7%) and Sweden (6%).
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