Almost two out of every three self-employed workers in Catalonia said that they had been affected by a slowdown in activity and sales DAVID RAMOS/GETTY IMAGESCatalonia is losing 40 self-employed workers a day as the region’s economy falters amid the political turmoil and companies move to other parts of Spain. A year ago, before the crisis erupted, the number of self-employed workers — who make up 16.5 per cent of the Spanish working population — rose by 496 in Catalonia in one month, according to the Spanish National Federation of the Self-employed (ATA). Many of those leaving end up in Madrid and other parts of Spain, reversing the decades-long trend that turned Catalonia into the nation’s economic powerhouse. Lorenzo Amor, president of the ATA, said the job losses were the result of falling consumer confidence in Catalonia, which generates 19 per cent of national GDP. Already 2,400 companies have moved…

Source: The Times November 15, 2017 17:08 UTC