It is no coincidence that Technology Park of Andalusia (Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía, PTA, in Spanish) is located in Malaga. With 325 days of sunshine a year, average annual temperatures of 20ºC and over 70 golf courses, twenty or so international schools and 1.6 million inhabitants originally from over 140 different countries, the city has positioned itself as one of the most highly sought-after places to work and live.
Malaga Technology Park: a world-class tech hub in Andalusia
Situated in the district of Campanillas and opened in 1992, Technology Park of Andalusia is a modern business park specialising in the ICT sector. Since 1998, it has also been the headquarters of Asociación de Parques Científicos y Tecnológicos de España. PTA has a stellar reputation for its quality services and facilities that cater to the needs of both companies and workers. Extending for a total surface area of 2,000,000m2, the park is divided into 410,000m2 of building space and 900,000m2 of gardens.
Malaga is home to 60 foreign companies, most of which are located in PTA. In total, 631 companies, 150 start-ups and 20,345 people work at Malaga Tech Park, which many have dubbed ‘southern Europe’s Silicon Valley’. It should come as no surprise then that big multinationals, such as Google, Ericsson, Accenture, Telefónica and Vodafone, have chosen Malaga, and Technology Park of Andalusia more specifically, to set up their offices and R&D centres.
Promoting talent
Universidad de Málaga and Technology Park of Andalusia have established a strong relationship of collaboration to build a large interconnected network of people and technologies, which boosts research and development in the heart of the university. Thanks to this great institution, the province of Malaga is a great source of highly qualified ICT talent, with 6,000 students matriculated in technology-based degrees. It is calculated that at PTA there are currently about 10,000 people employed in the technology sector.
The regional and national impact of PTA Malaga
The companies based at Technology Park of Andalusia have an annual turnover of €2,104 million. In 2019, the park’s contribution to GDP was 1.56% in Andalusia, 7.95% in the province of Malaga and 19.27% in Malaga city. The technology park’s share of total employment is 1.65% in Andalusia, 8.27% in the province of Malaga and 20% in Malaga city.
Malaga, a popular place to work
In an increasingly digitized world, and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has become a long-term reality for many companies. With this shift in paradigm, companies are changing locations, moving from where they were originally based to settle in dream settings. What’s more, many employees - particularly those working for ICT companies - have found themselves in the unprecedented position of having total freedom of movement, being able to choose where they want to live, without being tied to the physical location of the office.
With its great weather, quality infrastructure, excellent connections, incredible attractions and appealing lifestyle, the Costa del Sol is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. Many travellers are now presented with the very real opportunity to turn their favourite place to holiday into their new home. If you are considering working from home or setting up a company in the province of Malaga, you will be pleasantly surprised by all the benefits there are of doing so.
