Catalonia, positive situation F or the fourth consecutive year the Catalan economy grew. in 2017 it was by 3.4 %, which was three points better than GDP'S EVOLuTION Spain as a whole, and is one point above the european average. The main driver of this positive trend was the recovery in domestic demand, after the sharp decline experienced during the economic crisis. Foreign demand also contributed to this, 2016 3.5 % thanks to the robust performance of exports of goods and services. From the point of view of supply, the key factors were the 2017 3.4 % strong growth of industry, the first signs of construction picking up, and the upbeat mood in services. Other factors, such as moderate behaviour of interest rates, the price of crude and euro parity favoured the Catalan economy. Barcelona, more employment E conomic activity in the city of Barcelona closed 2017 at similar levels to the previous year, with growth of around 3.3 % in terms of the city’s GdP, albeit with a slight downward trend attributable to the terrorist attack in August and the climate uP AND DOWN FIGuRES of political uncertainty that marked the last quarter, with a clear impact on tourism. At the end of the year, Barcelona had 1,090,000 workers +3.3 % contributing to Social Security, 26,000 more than the same Labour market growth period of 2016, representing an increase of 2.5 %. This growth brings the city almost back to the levels prior to the 2008 crisis. +26.3 % 74,000 remain registered as unemployed. Most of the new jobs were generated in the service sector, followed by construction Goods in the port and industry. However, analysts point out that it can be hard to distinguish services, strictly speaking, from industrial activity; +7.1 % this is the case of new technologies or additive manufacturing, among others. The biggest growth was seen in the subsectors Passengers at the airport of commerce, administration services, health care, and professional and scientific activities. -1.9 % in the metropolitan area 285,000 people work in industry. Hotel overnight stays 2017 saw growth in the sectors of chemical and pharmaceutical, energy and manufacturing, and maintenance of machinery. The various 2017 indicators reveal very positive performances: total goods traffic in the port of Barcelona grew by 26.3 %, and passenger traffic at the airport rose by 7.1 % Source: international Monetary Fund; department of to reach 47,285,000. Hotel overnight stays, however, registered the Vice-Presidency and of the economy and Finance; Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, industry and navigation; a decrease of 1.9 %. Barcelona City Council; idescat; ine; Bank of Spain 18 — FiRA de BARCeLOnA | 2017 RePORT