Businesses Pay Hidden Price for Housing Crisis

An average of 57% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Catalonia are already absorbing extra costs due to the housing crisis, paying up to €5,500 per unfilled position annually to help cover rent or transport, according to a July 2026 study by business association Pimec. The research, conducted by the SME Observatory under economist Oriol Amat, identifies high living costs as a direct threat to business competitiveness. Pep Garcia, president of the Territorial Council of SMEs at Foment del Treball and UEI-Cerclem, stated:

“This is a direct cost for the company and does not imply any improvement in productivity.”

He added that salaries are increasingly consumed by rent, weakening employee purchasing power without benefit to firms.

Recruitment Challenges and Mobility Barriers

Moisès Bonal, Pimec’s director of economic analysis and co-author of the report, said the survey included nearly 400 firms, with 27.6% based in the Barcelonès and others in high-pressure areas such as Baix Llobregat and Vallès Occidental, regions classified by the Generalitat as having very high housing tension. Testimonies from anonymous firms reveal real-world impacts: one company reported rejected job offers above €100,000 annually because candidates accepted roles elsewhere in Europe where housing was more affordable. Another firm admitted to raising salaries beyond inflation due to housing pressures. A third had to register a property under the company’s name to house a foreign employee unable to secure accommodation. Oriol Alba, secretary general of Cecot, warned:

“Getting a job in Girona doesn’t automatically mean being able to move there and find housing, and that doesn’t help economic dynamism.”

He noted that combined pressures, from housing, energy, and consumer prices, are forcing wage increases that strain SME margins. Transport inefficiencies compound the issue. Garcia criticised Rodalies commuter rail services as a “significant social and economic inefficiency” due to lost work hours, and called the B-40 highway for the Vallès region an “urgent necessity”.

Urgent Calls for Policy and Construction Reform

To break the cycle, Cecot is drafting a pre-legislative proposal to streamline urban planning and environmental permits. Alba stressed that waiting two years for a building licence is “unacceptable” and hinders both housing and industrial development. He also advocated for industrialised, modular construction methods, citing Catalan companies like Roca and the use of modular panels at the Sagrada Família as proof of existing innovation capacity. Pimec, Foment del Treball, and Cecot all agree that housing policy must be treated as a strategic economic issue, equivalent to transport. Garcia warned:

“The saddest thing is having the capacity to grow, having orders, and not being able to move forward because you don’t have people.”

The European Commission’s proposed Affordable Housing Law will not affect Barcelona’s plan to phase out tourist rental licences by 2028, as Brussels confirmed the regulation will only bind measures adopted after its entry into force. Meanwhile, the Cross-Party Housing Pact for Catalonia, led by API, demands public investment rise to 0.7% of GDP, increased use of public land, and stronger public-private collaboration. Despite these efforts, data from the Statistical Yearbook of Catalonia shows current housing completions are only about 10% of pre-2008 levels, underscoring the scale of the shortfall.

Primary sources: idescat.cat. Reported by viaempresa.cat, larazon.es, elperiodico.com, diaridetarragona.com.