Bilbaoruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Energy & utilities
Iberdrola, Petronor, Naturgy, Siemens Gamesa
Iberdrola is headquartered here and is one of the world's largest renewable energy utilities, which anchors a deep local cluster in grid, wind and energy engineering.
Banking & finance
BBVA, Kutxabank, Laboral Kutxa, Bolsa de Bilbao
BBVA was founded in Bilbao and the city retains substantial banking operations, alongside the Basque cooperative banks that finance much of the regional industry.
Industrial engineering & machine tools
CAF, Sener, Danobat, Ingeteam, ITP Aero
The Basque Country is one of Europe's densest machine-tool and capital-goods clusters, and CAF builds trains and trams exported worldwide from nearby Beasain.
Aerospace & advanced manufacturing
ITP Aero, Aernnova, Sener Aeroespacial, Aciturri
ITP Aero is a major aero-engine component manufacturer, and the surrounding supply chain makes the Basque Country one of Spain's two main aerospace regions alongside Andalusia.
Cooperatives & the Mondragón model
Mondragón Corporation, Fagor, Eroski, Orona
Mondragón, an hour away, is the largest worker cooperative federation in the world and shapes the region's industrial culture well beyond its own member firms.
Culture, gastronomy & tourism
Guggenheim Bilbao, Azkuna Zentroa, Basque Culinary Center, Michelin-starred restaurants
The Guggenheim transformed the city's economy and image from 1997, and the Basque Country has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars per head anywhere in the world.
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