CEPYME warns that rising labor costs threaten the viability of SMEs despite record membership in 2025

 

La Confederación Española de la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa (CEPYMEThe employers' organization has issued an urgent assessment following the release of unemployment and social security affiliation figures for the end of 2025. The organization warns that the increase in employment, while positive in absolute numbers, masks structural weaknesses exacerbated by the rising labor and tax costs that support micro-enterprises.

 

Employment report: Record figures with structural nuances

 

The labor market showed an expansionary trend at the end of the year. According to official data for December, the system added 19.180 new membersraising the cumulative annual total in 2025 to 506.451 affiliatesThis boost puts the total number of workers at 21.844.414, a peak that, however, coexists with an unemployment rate that continues to exceed the European average.

 

Meanwhile, registered unemployment fell by 16.291 people in December. Year-on-year, the reduction has been significant, with 152.048 fewer people on the unemployment rolls (-5,94%), bringing the total number of unemployed to 2.408.670.

 

The main macroeconomic labor indicators for the end of the fiscal year are detailed below:

Indicator	Monthly Variation (Dec.)	Year-on-year variation	Total Accumulated
Membership	+ 19.180	+ 506.451	21.844.414
Registered Unemployment	-16.291	-152.048 (-5,94%)	2.408.670

 

Vulnerability of SMEs to increased costs

 

Despite the positive evolution of macroeconomic figures, CEPYME maintains a stance of "extreme caution"The organization emphasizes that the drop in unemployment is not necessarily translating into greater growth capacity for smaller businesses. The main concern lies in the vulnerability of companiesespecially micro-enterprises and SMEs, whose financial situation remains precarious.

 

The employers' association points directly to the accumulation of costs as the destabilizing factor. In addition to the cost increases experienced in recent years, further increases are projected for the current fiscal year, including the rise in... minimum salary. For CEPYMEThis scenario, combined with uncertainty about the evolution of activity, prevents a "real strengthening of quality employment".

 

Urgent measures for business stability

 

The Confederation points out a current paradox in the Spanish market: despite the high unemployment rate, companies are facing great difficulties in filling vacanciesGiven this scenario, CEPYME It considers the implementation of a package of measures to guarantee the survival of the business fabric to be essential:

 

• Foreseeable regulatory environment: Need for fiscal and legal stability to encourage investment.
• Reduction of administrative burdens: Elimination of bureaucracy that generates unproductive added costs.
• Training policies: Boosting professional retraining to mitigate sectoral volatility and fill existing vacancies.

 

Key points and frequently asked questions about employment and SMEs

 

What is the position of CEPYME Given the unemployment figures for 2025?
Although he acknowledges the drop in unemployment and the increase in membership, CEPYME It warns that the labor market maintains structural weaknesses and that the figures do not reflect the difficult cost reality faced by micro-enterprises.

 

What factors threaten job creation in small businesses?
The organization points to the accumulation of costs in recent years, the tax burden, the new planned increases in labor costs (such as the minimum wage) and the general economic uncertainty.

 

What solutions does the employers' association propose to protect SMEs?
CEPYME It demands urgent measures that include a predictable fiscal environment, the reduction of bureaucratic administrative burdens, and active training policies to address the shortage of qualified personnel.