Málaga, (EFE).- Andalusia received more than 66 million euros of British investment in the first quarter of this year, a figure that represents an increase of 23% compared to the same period in 2022 and that places it as the fourth receiving region in Spain.
This is reflected in the eighth barometer on climate and prospects for British investment in Spain. Published by the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain and carried out by International Financial Analysts, presented this Thursday in Malaga.
Andalusia ranks as the fourth community that receives the most investment. A classification led by Catalonia, with 147 million euros; followed by the Valencian Community, with 110 million. And the Community of Madrid, with 94 million.
The amount of investment in the Andalusian community consolidates the investment trend of the British country, which closed 2022 with 170 million euros in Andalusia.
By sectors, if in 2022 British investment in Andalusia was concentrated in the energy sector and technical architecture and engineering services, in this 2023 British companies are focused on accommodation services.
0.5% of the work, from British companies
This points to UK investment diversifying. Since historically it has concentrated on the food industry, financial services and construction, the British Chamber of Commerce says in a statement.
British investment in the region is responsible for maintaining 15,000 jobs, of which 10,000 are directly.
This means that 0.5% of jobs in Andalusia are the responsibility of British companies in the region, according to the calculations of the report’s authors.
Regarding the national group, foreign direct investment from the United Kingdom is in fifth position in this first quarter of the year. With 444 million euros, levels similar to the first quarters of recent years.
By sectors, more than half of the investment, that is to say 226 million euros, has focused on wholesale trade, with 121.7 million euros. And the educational sector, with 104.8 million euros.
Record in Spain
Real estate operations also stand out, with 42 million euros, and the manufacture of beverages, with an investment of 40 million euros.
For its part, during 2022 British investment in Spain closed with record figures, with more than 6,100 million euros. This was 83% more than the previous year.
These data were boosted by the investment that UK companies made in the sports and energy sector. With more than 2,000 million and 1,183 million, respectively.
At the employment level, companies in the United Kingdom maintain 227,000 jobs throughout the country, which represents 1.2% of the total number of jobs, of which 137,000 are direct, while the remaining 90,000 are generated as a result of the drag caused by the supply chain.
The British Chamber of Commerce in Spain is an independent Spanish-British business organization, which aims to promote trade and investment relations between the two countries and has offices in Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga.EFE