Spanish companies are optimistic about their economic development for the year 2025, according to the 32nd edition of the Business Outlook Survey made by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain together with European camerasThis study, which collected opinions from 1.765 Spanish companies among a total of 42.000 European participants, highlights that the degree of business confidence in Spain reaches a positive balance of 15,4 points, well above the European average which stands at 4,1 points and the euro area with 2,9 points.
This optimism is mainly driven by positive expectations about the exports and domestic sales. As for exports, Spanish companies report a positive balance of 36,8 points, compared to the modest 6,2 of the European average. National sales also reflect a favourable trend with a balance of 20,1 points, far exceeding the 8,9 registered by its European counterparts.
Labour costs and a shortage of qualified personnel will be the main factors affecting business activity in 2025
Despite the encouraging overall economic outlook and moderately positive employment and investment, significant concerns remain for Spanish businesses. A critical factor is the expected increase in labour costs; approximately 1.5% of the GDP is expected to increase by 2020. 72,6 % of the companies surveyed identify this aspect as their main challenge for 2025. In addition, the shortage of qualified personnel is another growing problem pointed out by the 48 % of the participants.
Other concerns include administrative burdens and high prices for both energy and raw materials. Compared to other European countries, Portugal leads with highly positive business expectations (positive balance of 47 points), followed by Türkiye y MontenegroOn the other hand, Austria, Germany and Serbia show significant negative balances in their economic outlook for 2025.
This survey provides a clear insight into how Spanish companies are positioning themselves to face future challenges while maintaining a positive attitude towards their potential economic growth.
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