San Sebastiánruns 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
Gastronomy & culinary education
Arzak, Akelarre, Mugaritz, Martín Berasategui, Basque Culinary Center
The city and its immediate surroundings hold one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars per head anywhere in the world, and the Basque Culinary Center is a full university faculty of gastronomy.
Science & research
Donostia International Physics Center, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE, Biodonostia, Tecnalia
An unusually deep research cluster for a city of under 200,000, built around the Miramón technology park and the UPV/EHU and Tecnun campuses — materials, nanoscience and biomedicine in particular.
Machine tools & industrial engineering
Danobat, Soraluce, CAF (Beasain), Orona, Irizar, Ampo
Gipuzkoa is one of Europe's densest capital-goods clusters, much of it structured as worker cooperatives, with trains, lifts, coaches and machine tools exported worldwide from towns within half an hour of the city.
Software & digital
Ibermática, Vicomtech, LKS Next, Ttarttalo studios, Miramón park tenants
A small but real software sector anchored on the technology park and the applied-research centres, with strong specialisation in computer vision, industrial AI and health tech rather than consumer startups.
Tourism, film & events
Zinemaldia (San Sebastián Film Festival), Kursaal, Jazzaldia, Musika Hamabostaldia
A high-value, low-volume tourism economy plus one of Europe's major A-list film festivals every September, which fills the city and its hotels for a fortnight.
Health & public sector
Osakidetza, Hospital Universitario Donostia, Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa, Ayuntamiento
The Basque health service and the foral and municipal administrations are among the largest employers in the city — and the roles that most often carry a certified Euskara requirement.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.