The Basque Food and Drink Industry will employ more than 30,000 workers over the next decade
BASQUE FOOD CLUSTER studies the talent needs of companies to adapt the training offer and boost their competitiveness.
The growth in activity will require the creation of almost 19,000 new jobs, while the replacement of retirements will require 11,500 new recruits between now and 2035.
The need to respond to the foreseeable growth in business activity and the massive retirements that will take place in the coming years will have a major impact on the future of employment in the Basque food sector. This has been detected by BASQUE FOOD CLUSTER through the project developed to carry out a diagnosis of training needs in companies, which has been subsidised by Lanbide – Basque Employment Service. Specifically, it is expected that the Basque Food and Drink Industry -which encompasses the industrial activity of the fishing and meat, bread and milling, dairy, beverages and other smaller sectors such as fruit and vegetables or animal feed- will need to incorporate more than 30,000 people between now and 2035.
According to data from Futurelan, the Lanbide Observatory, the forecast evolution for the main occupations associated with the food sector is very positive. In this sense, the Basque Food and Drink Industry, which currently employs 27,500 people, will require the creation of 19,000 new jobs derived from the increase in activity, as well as the incorporation of a further 11,500 people to replace the expected retirements over the next decade.
These conclusions were presented at the conference entitled ‘Challenges and opportunities for the promotion of innovation in the field of Talent’, organised by BASQUE FOOD CLUSTER. Prospektiker, a consultant collaborating in the project, analysed how the transformation of the sector will bring with it a growing demand for new job profiles. For example, in terms of digitalisation and robotisation, although its impact will be less than in other industries due to the manual nature of food processes, cybersecurity emerges as a key area for the future.
It will also increase the need for specific skills in areas such as food health and hygiene, maintenance of technological infrastructures, allergen control and food safety. At the same time, changes in consumer habits towards more ecological, local and sustainable products will drive new business opportunities in the sector.
The study highlights the success of Dual Training and internship programmes with commitment to employment as effective tools to ensure employability. However, generational handover poses a critical challenge: it is essential to pass on the knowledge of the outgoing generations to the new ones, especially in a context of demographic shortages and increasing diversification of the workforce with foreign professionals.
The Basque Food and Drink Industry also faces other important challenges such as rising production costs, supply problems arising from dependence on foreign markets, and the need to adapt to increasingly demanding environmental regulations.
