UATAE warns of the bleeding of local self-employed businesses after losing 10,454 businesses in one year

Spain sets self-employment record, but local commerce continues to lose strength. In June 2026, there were 652,319 self-employed individuals dedicated to commerce, 10,454 fewer than a year ago, according to UATAE.

The organization points to an increasingly visible contradiction. The RETA as a whole grows and reaches historical highs, while one of its traditional sectors loses fabric in neighborhoods and towns. For the Union of Associations of Self-Employed Workers and Entrepreneurs, the data shows that small businesses are being left out of the general good moment of self-employment.

The general secretary of UATAE, María José Landaburu, points to a problem that goes beyond a bad patch. “Commerce is silently losing the battle, not because there is a lack of desire to work, but because competing against digital giants, impossible rents, and rules designed for huge operators leaves thousands of self-employed individuals out of the game,” she states.

Self-employed commerce continues to have an enormous weight in the local economy. Andalusia gathers 126,725 self-employed individuals in the sector; Catalonia, 104,403; the Valencian Community, 78,623; and Madrid, 74,561. Together, these four concentrate almost six out of ten self-employed individuals in commerce in Spain. Galicia, the Basque Country, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, the Canary Islands, and Murcia also maintain a prominent presence.

UATAE calls for a state plan to support local commerce

UATAE demands that the Government, autonomous communities, and city councils promote a comprehensive plan for local commerce. The organization calls for fiscal measures, aid against commercial rents, clearer rules against large platforms, a review of the liberalization of sales and opening hours, useful digitalization for small businesses, and generational handover policies.

The organization also focuses on rural commerce, food markets, street vending, and crafts. These are activities with less volume than large chains, but with a direct function in the daily life of many municipalities. When a shutter closes, sales are lost, but also nearby service, employment, security, and street activity.

“We cannot celebrate employment records while it is accepted as normal that thousands of businesses disappear,” Landaburu states. The general secretary of UATAE warns that a country with more affiliation and fewer neighborhood stores “is leaving gaps in its streets and in its towns”.

UATAE's diagnosis points to rising costs, lack of generational replacement, pressure from rents, changes in consumption, and increasingly tough digital competition. Its message for the Economy is clear: local commerce is not asking for nostalgia, it is asking for rules to be able to compete.