Employers warn that 20% of metal companies in Bizkaia may be compromised

The Federation of Metal Companies (FVEM) has warned that, according to its report for the first half of the year, 20.2%of Bizkaia's metal companies suffer losses or invalid results, implying that they "may be at risk in the future."

Begoña San Miguel, president of FVEM, presented this report on Wednesday, according to which the activity of the metal industry in Bizkaia has improved from the low levels of the last two years, but the profitability and investment of companies hasdecreased,  and absenteeism has been 10.4%.

This percentage has been the rate of absenteeism in the sector in 2025, with more than 5800 people not going to work every day. According to FVEM, 47% of the employment created last year was used to absorb that growth.

According to the report, in which 207 companies have participated, the activityof companies in the sector has improved, but there are even more that do not reach expectations (almost 25% have recorded lower than expected activity and 21% have exceeded expectations).

On the other hand, corporate turnover has increased by 0.83% in the first halfof the year, slightly exceeding expectations. Metallurgical employers expect annual growth of 1.23.

According to San Miguel, the data are better, but they must be interpreted "prudently" because they start from "very low levels" and the correction is "minimal." In his view, the sector has left behind a "bad" margin and has entered the part of the band that is considered "normal" and thus has succeeded in curbing the "sharp decline" of the last two years.

As he has pointed out, this does not mean "prosperity" or recovery, but a situation of "stability." The prospects for the second half of 2026 remain in the same band, with no prospect of improvement.