Baleares sees record numbers of freelancers

The Balearic region is seeing record numbers of people registering as self-employed, or freelancers.

According to the National Federation of Freelancers (or ATA, as it is known in Spain), since the first trimester of 2021, there have been over 120,000 new associates affiliated with the Special Regimen of Self-Employed Workers (RETA). Moreover, over  a third of them are classified as societario – referring to a self-employed person who has created a company or an otherwise different type of legal business structure. This places the Baleares region as the third community with the most self-employed societarios in Spain, right behind Basque Country and Navarro.

But what could be causing this exponential shift? The president of the ATA, Luis García, attributes it to policies such as the zero-fee quota for new entrepreneurs, which encourages people to register as freelance by absolving them of having to pay the monthly social security fee. Moreover, the government offers help to seasoned freelancers who have been active for more than 36 months, promoting longevity.

José Antonio Caldés, general director of Business, Self-Employment and Trade for the government of the Balearic region, is also excited to see this dramatic growth, and has announced a plan to create a grant for business to hire the first young, qualified employee and further incentivise the growth of small businesses.