The Secretary of State for Defense, Amparo Valcarce, has emphasized that in 2027, 25,000 new vacancies will be generated in the Spanish defense industry and has warned that "filling them is the most important challenge" facing the sector.
"I have to remind you that next year, we are very close to 2027, the companies represented here will offer 25,000 direct jobs, that is, we need to fill 25,000 positions, and for this, we have to make a great effort with universities and vocational training centers," she declared, emphasizing that attracting 25,000 highly qualified professionals "is the most important challenge for the sector in 2027."
Valcarce made these statements during the presentation, this Monday, of the latest report from the Spanish Association of Technological Defense, Security, Aerospace and Space Companies (Tedae), which analyzes the economic impact of these areas in Spain.
Investment in defense as an economic lever
According to the Secretary of State, the document "evidences how investment in defense stands as one of the most powerful engines of economic development, territorial integration, high-skilled employment, and disruptive innovation in Spain," and she insisted that having "a solid, autonomous, and technologically competitive industrial base is essential to reinforce technological sovereignty and provide the country with the necessary capabilities to face the challenges of the 21st century."
In this context, she recalled that "Spain, as a committed partner of the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance, has fully assumed its historical responsibility with the decision to achieve the goal of investing 2% of GDP in defense," a goal she described as "a huge budgetary effort being made by the Government, but also a collective effort of Spanish society."
Valcarce has focused on the "return in industrial terms, employment, also in fiscal terms" associated with this increase in spending, which she considers "beneficial not only for the overall economy but above all for the citizens and for the country."
According to what has been indicated, "the true macroeconomic relevance of this sector lies in its ability to pull the entire economy," highlighting that "it is clear that the cycle of public investment in defense and security directly and substantially reverts to supporting public services and the welfare state." In the same line, it has defended that the results of the report "confirm that the path outlined by the Government of Spain is correct and accepted."
To conclude, the Secretary of State has referenced "the fruitful collaboration between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Industry," which she has defined as "the best example" of how institutional coordination boosts the industrial and technological fabric of the country.