Publication CEPYME500 2017

#MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY SECTOR
Spain represents the fifth power in the EU metal
industry
The metal sector is responsible for 7% of GDP, 31% of
gross capital formation, 42% of total goods exported
and 24% of the R&D&I spending in our country.
The metal industry accounts for 44% of industrial production
and 40% of industrial employment in Spain.
Furthermore, Spanish industry represents 13.7% of all
employed persons in the country.
The unemployed in the industrial sector represent
between 4 and 5% of the total number of unemployed
in Spain, in comparison to the service sector with
unemployment figures between 25-30%.
Spain is the fifth power in the EU metal industry,
where metal products account for more than a quarter
of industrial production and a third of manufactured
products exported.
The metal industries are important users of the primary
and service sectors, but also suppliers of goods
and services to the entire manufacturing industry.
The metal industry’s activity depends on the energy
sector, the primary sector industries, the transport
industry (including the automotive, aeronautical and
rail sectors), telecommunications networks, the food
and agriculture industry, as well as the agricultural,
chemical, petrochemical, plastic, metal, mechanical
and electrical industries.
The metal sector is a key player in providing the necessary
technological solutions to face challenges such
as development, the fight against climate change, the
security of energy supply and the production and trade
of environmentally friendly goods.
In 2016, the production index of the metal industry
recorded an increase of 2.4%, which marked the third
consecutive year with rises in production, after 2% in
2014 and 5.8% in 2015.
In the first half of 2017, production has increased at an
average of around 2% and, in parallel, we have also
seen rises of around 6.5% in turnover and new orders.
In terms of employment, the number of employed
persons in all areas of the metal sector grew by 4.7% in
2016, which represents around 172,000 jobs. So far in
2017, employment has risen 1.9%.
In turn, metal exports grew by 2.2% and imports by 4.6%
in 2016, producing a trade deficit of 5.156 billion euros
at year-end. In this line, in the first half of 2017 exports
grew by 8.9% and imports by 10.2%.
The metal sector is also a supplier of equipment and
technology not only for the health, social, entertainment
and environmental sectors, but also for the
wastewater and air treatment sectors.
A significant part of the sector's production goes to
the consumer market, in the form of household appliances,
telecommunications equipment or electronic
products.
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