Although more than 85% of productive fabric in the province of Alicante consists of micro SMEs with fewer than 10 workers, signs of change are emerging. The economy, recovering from the epidemic, is showing growth in medium-sized and large firms. The number of large companies in the region has reached its historical peak. The encouraging news, experts say, is that these large firms typically invest more in innovation and offer stronger working conditions.
Recent data on companies registered with Social Security, compiled by the Valencian Institute of Statistics, show that by the end of the third quarter there were 168 companies with more than 250 employees. This marks a rise of 14 from the previous year and is the highest figure recorded since 2012, when 102 firms surpassed that threshold.
Analyzing the labor market for the same period, it becomes clear that these large companies dominate job creation in Alicante. They account for 10,880 of the 23,553 new jobs generated in the last twelve months, underscoring the impact of big employers on local employment.
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Today, Alicante counts 143,347 residents who work for a large organization, including public employees in health and education. This group now represents 26.4% of total employment in the region, a slight increase from last year and a noticeable rise over the past decade.
Aerial view of Atalayas polygon. Information
“This is a very positive sign, because it indicates that Alicante’s economy is healthy and that competitive companies have room to grow,” says Ignacio Jimenez Raneda, professor emeritus of Fundamentals of Economic Analysis and former rector of the University of Alicante. He adds that labor reform may have contributed to the growth by regularizing previously insecure workers.
Pandemic
From Ineca’s research director Francisco Llopis, the pandemic hit SMEs harder while large firms demonstrated resilience and were better positioned to capitalize on the recovery. He explains that market forces push companies to strengthen, encouraging innovation and increasing competitiveness, which also supports international expansion and business growth.
Joaquin Perez, president of CEV Alicante, notes that traditional sectors have stepped up investments, creating new opportunities. He also observes that firms are becoming more willing to collaborate and form synergies, which enhances growth prospects.
Only Las Palmas and Melilla have fallen more than Alicante in Spain’s GDP per capita rankings since 2000
Despite improvement, Perez emphasizes that the average size of Alicante firms remains below the regional average and calls for greater government support to ease bureaucratic hurdles and enable business expansion.
Data from the Valencian Institute of Statistics reveals a regional contrast: Alicante hosts 168 large companies, with about half based in Valencia. The region closed the last quarter with 298 companies employing more than 250 workers. Large firms account for 32.5% of salaried employment in Valencia, six points higher than in Alicante. The average company size in Valencia is 11.1 workers, compared with 8.8 in Alicante.
Almost a thousand more companies than a year ago
Overall, Alicante ended the last quarter with 61,272 Social Security registered companies, meaning at least one employed worker per company. This marks an increase of 975 from the previous year and signals solid progress in the province’s productive structure. Sectorally, hospitality leads the rise with 258 more companies than September 2022, followed by construction with 137 additional firms and gardening services with more than 72 new companies. Of the total, 52,195 are micro SMEs (1–9 employees), 7,812 are SMEs (10–49), 1,091 are medium-sized (50–249), and 168 are large companies.