Briefing
The Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) published on 9 October 2026 the provisional results of the experimental statistics Coyuntura demográfica de empresas (CODEM) for the first quarter of 2026. According to the figures, 9.5 per cent of the Unidades legales empleadoras reported exits by the end of the respective following quarter; the rate for trabajadores autónomos was 7.7 per cent. In addition, 65.5 per cent of active units with employees at the start of 2026 had been in existence for more than five years. These figures come from the press release published by the INE on 9 October 2026 and its accompanying methodological documents.
CODEM is designed as an experimental statistic and is based on register and administrative data. It systematically distinguishes between legal units with employees (Unidades legales empleadoras) and self-employed workers (trabajadores autónomos), and provides quarterly flow measures such as registrations, exits and net changes. The stated percentages are quarterly rates of exits in the subsequent period and should not be directly equated with annual figures for a calendar year.
The INE explicitly draws attention to the experimental nature of the statistics: methodological documentation and datasets explain definitions, scope and possible sources of revisions. For robust conclusions about causes and sectoral differences, the figures recommend further analysis by economic sector and region, as well as comparison with employment and turnover indicators. Only in conjunction with such contextual data can the contributions of factors such as economic conditions, financing terms or administrative burdens to the observed fluctuations be assessed plausibly.
For economic policy in practice, however, CODEM indicators provide early signals: they can help shape programmes for start-ups, business succession or regional development, and are relevant to labour market stakeholders because they reveal short-term changes in the employer base. Given the experimental status, revisions to the first-quarter 2026 figures are possible.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).