Barcelona.Central Government figures released yesterday showed that as of September this year there were 2'498 immigrant businesses operating in the Balearics, a 20.6 percent growth figure in comparison with the same period in 2010. The National Federation of Self-Employed Workers (ATA) said yesterday that this growth was the highest registered anywhere in the country.
In absolute terms, the region of the country with the highest number of immigrant business is Catalonia where in September this year, there were 2'784 registered. Following on behind the Balearics comes Andalucia with 1'382, Madrid (1'180), and Valencia (1'058).
Absorbing the crisis
Across Spain as a whole, there were 10'442 more self-employed workers registered during the first nine months of this year, 5.2 percent more when compared to the same period in 2010. At the end of September this year, the total number of immigrant workers stood at 209'374.
According to the ATA, the immigrant community of workers is doing well at weathering the crisis on their own account so far this year. Government figures show that the numbers dropped only in the regions of Murcia and La Rioja up until September this year.
The Balearics, meanwhile, the report revealed, with its year-on-year growth figure of 20.6 percent, accounted for one in every four new self-employed workers registered during the first nine months of this year.
The Chinese are by far the most numerous in terms of growing immigrant businesses, accounting for 17 percent of all foreign self-employed workers, followed by those from Romania (who now no longer need a special permit), 10.8% of the total. Next down the list come self-employed workers from Germany (6.7%), Italy (6.7%), Morocco (5.7%), France (4.5%) and Portugal (3%).