Pimec: "What is happening is very serious and is clearly a cause-and-effect of the lack of investment"

BarcelonaThe Gelida train tragedy The train accident on Tuesday night—in which a trainee driver died—combined with the tragedy of the train collision in Córdoba over the weekend—which left dozens dead—has overshadowed current events, including the economic one. Antoni Cañete, president of Pimec, expressed his regret over the accidents and, regarding the complete disruption of commuter rail service in Catalonia, stated that "the necessary safety measures were taken, but obviously this has economic consequences due to the difficulty in finding jobs." According to Cañete, among the business community, "there has been a climate of unease, but we don't believe there has been a collapse; we believe that today's events should have minimal impact on the economy," he asserted. "Although today's incident was an accident, Pimec has been talking for a long time about the lack of investment in infrastructure, which has many consequences, such as today's complete service disruption," the president of the employers' association lamented.

"Beyond Wednesday's specific situation, in the commuter rail sector, €2.2 million in labor costs are lost daily due to the delays that occur every day, and €3.2 million in lost opportunity costs," Cañete pointed out, reiterating the same point. "The appropriate investments are not being made; what is happening is very serious and is clearly a cause-and-effect situation," he asserted.

"A company without a budget or planning cannot move forward; well, a country that is not investing, planning, and making changes when necessary leads to situations like the ones we are facing. We must demand accountability from those responsible," he said.

"We are at a breaking point."

The aim of Pimec's meeting this Wednesday was to present its 2026 economic outlook report, compiled from more than 40 reports from different entities and through the SME Observatory, directed by Professor Oriol Amat. "We are in times of upheaval," began the president of the employers' association, Antoni Cañete. "It is not enough for the economy to grow; this may comfort us, but it is necessary that this growth also be accessible to SMEs," he asserted. "We are in a moment of maximum uncertainty since Trump's reelection, and this scenario carries risks of a bubble," noted Professor Amat, who recalled the current bubbles in financial markets, AI, and cryptocurrencies, "which could burst at any moment," he said. Although the report forecasts 3.1% growth in the global economy, Amat pointed to some risks and constraints, such as the end of stimulus measures (NGEU fund); A productivity gap (-8% compared to the EU); the difficulty in finding skilled labor; the stagnation of major trading partners, which is hindering exports in the European context; and the major housing problem, which represents a bottleneck for social emancipation and attracting talent. According to the study, approximately 33% of companies expect to create jobs in 2026, very similar to last year, and the majority of companies (66%) expect to raise sales prices by an average of 5.7%. Furthermore, the main challenges for this year will be maintaining profit margins and being able to cope with increased costs, including labor costs, bureaucracy, and difficulties in filling vacancies. "In conclusion, there is moderate optimism, but also worrying global uncertainty. The scenario is stable but demanding, and the growing increase in investment in digitalization and cost pressures predominate," Amat concluded. Artificial intelligence and digitalization will also shape the year, but above all, we'll be watching what Trump says.