Employment grows in large companies and SMEs thanks to regularization
Sales increased by 3.4% due to the expansion of exports
BarcelonaEmployment in large companies and SMEs rose by 3.6% in the second quarter, and the pace of job creation accelerated slightly compared to the first quarter, according to data published by the Tax Agency. "Although it is impossible to determine with the aggregated information available, it is possible that part of the improvement is related to the regularization process of workers that began in April," the state agency pointed out. According to the report, the figure marks a rebound within the predominant trend throughout 2025, in which job creation stood at around 3%.
For its part, wage growth in the second quarter was 3.5%, a figure similar to that of the first quarter and within the relatively stable trajectory that began after the peak reached in the second quarter of 2024.
Sales are growing
Furthermore, the Tax Agency's statistics reflect that total sales increased by 3.4% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. This data shows an intensification of growth of more than one point over the first quarter. The gain in dynamism was based on the expansion of exports, while the growth rate of domestic sales remained relatively stable.
Specifically, domestic sales advanced by 3.2% in the second quarter, a tenth higher than the rate in the previous period. Considering its components, consumer sales slightly reduced their growth (from 6.8% to 5.3%), while sales for investment accelerated (5.7% coming from 4.8%). Within the latter, equipment and software sales rebounded sharply, with an increase of 10.6% compared to the previous 7.9%, and construction sales showed some sluggishness and lost seven tenths (from 2% to 1.3%).
Exports increased by 3.8% in the second quarter of the year, the most positive figure observed since the first quarter of 2023. By destination, in exports to the EU, activity gained almost two points and registered a rate of 4.4%, while sales to third countries recovered positive ground and increased by 3.2%, after a decline of 4.4% in the last quarter.