Record employment at Izarbel

The yearly survey carried out among the businesses at the Izarbel Technology Park reveals a record number of resident businesses and full-time equivalent employment contracts (FTE).

The result of the survey, carried out at the start of 2017 by the Pays Basque Urban Authority Economic Development Department, confirms the attractiveness of the Izarbel Technology Park. The site is specialized in cutting-edge digital technology and is home to software publishers, digital service providers, pure internet players, or even digital communications professionals.  

This survey has been carried out regularly for several years using the same criteria. In five years, the number of businesses located at Izarbel has increased by 16%, and the number of full-time equivalent employees (FTE) has increased by almost 12%.

On 31 December 2016, the technology park was home to 114 businesses. This is a record, because never before had Izarbel hosted so many businesses, and the symbolic threshold of 1,000 jobs was exceeded, with 1,015.1 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE). In all, the Izarbel Technology Park is home to 1,864 people, including 750 engineering students at the École Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées (ESTIA).

The change of the number of businesses and jobs at Izarbel:                                  

•    2016: 114 businesses and 1 015.1 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE).

•    2015: 105 businesses and 972.19 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE).

•    2014:  95 businesses and 960.61 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE).

•    2013: 108 businesses and 937.24 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE).

•    2012:  98 businesses and 909 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE).

•    2011:  92 businesses and 921 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE).

The survey also testifies to the optimism of the entrepreneurs, as they announce plans to add 80 jobs in 2017. To be noted that the businesses already present in 2015 created 59 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE) in 2016.