The ICT sector invoices 23,500 million in Catalonia, 9% of GDP

The ICT sector continues to grow in Catalonia. Beyond the announcements of mass layoffs by large companies like Amazon and Facebook, with little presence in Barcelona, the local technological ecosystem continues to add new companies and more workers year after year, reaching a total of 17,881 companies and 123,700 workers in 2022. The forecast is to exceed 18,000 companies this 2023.

Furthermore, revenues follow the same trend. Specifically, global turnover stood at 23.5 billion euros in 2022, a 4.4% increase compared to the previous year's revenue. This consolidates a 9% share of GDP, half a point lower than in 2021, considering that other relevant sectors such as tourism have already left the pandemic behind.

This is according to the Barometer of the technological sector in Catalonia, prepared annually by the Cercle Tecnològic. This year, it involved the participation of almost 1,300 companies. This is its 15th edition, so when its president, Joan Ramon Barrera, looks back, he sees that the sector has not only grown but has matured by experiencing many changes that have occurred in a short period of time.

Large fairs such as the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) have contributed to positioning the city, as well as the establishment of headquarters of large multinationals, such as Cisco or Intel. All this, while the mobile phone exploded and became widespread, managing to become an essential element, and digitalization transformed the productive system. In addition, it has accelerated with the pandemic, as evidenced by the fact that Barcelona had 40 technological hubs in 2018 and, in just five years, has grown to almost a hundred.

"Before, it was very clear what type of companies were part of the sector, now anyone has a technological aspect," summarizes the Secretary of Digital Policies of the Generalitat, Gina Tost. "And we have started to be asked about the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI)," adds Barrera as a sign of this maturity, to which Tost adds that society is clearer about what it expects from technology, after sector missteps that have generated rejection, such as data leaks.

Talent continues to be the main concern for companies in the ICT sector, with 54.4% of those surveyed indicating that the brain drain of professionals affects them intensely and worryingly. This figure has remained above 50% in recent years, while ten years ago, it stood at 30%. In addition, 65.3% of companies believe that they could increase their turnover if they found all the professionals they need. According to a study by Acció, there is a shortage of 12,000 ICT professionals. "There are many companies that want to set up in Barcelona and the first thing they ask is how they can incorporate the talent they need," says Tost.

Despite the lack of professionals, the ICT sector is optimistic about the coming years. 68% of the companies that participated in the barometer believe they will grow this year and 12% expect to do so by more than 20%.