Ontinyent's economy: textile industry, diversification and future challenges
🏙️ Overview of Ontinyent’s economy
The economy of Ontinyent is diverse, with a historic industrial base that has evolved in recent decades and emerging sectors that strengthen its economic dynamism and local employment.
🧵 1. Industry: traditional engine
👉 Historic textile sector:
The city has been one of the most important centers of the textile industry in the Valencian Community and in Spain, with leading companies in the manufacture of fabrics and textile products.
This sector continues to be a pillar of the local economy, although it has gone through cycles of adjustment and transformation.
💡 In particular, firms such as ATRIVM, Manterol, Colortex, Paduana, Revert and Textils Mora have traditionally had economic weight in the city.
💼 2. Services and local businesses
👉 Structural change:
Today, the service sector represents an important part of the economic fabric, with more service companies than in pure industry.
👉 Companies and employment:
Ontinyent has more than 800 companies and approximately 7,000 jobs, according to the report Ontinyent en Xifres 2025.
There is a diversified job offer: administration, production, retail, hospitality, etc.
📊 3. Commerce and population
👉 Local commerce:
The city is the head of a commercial subarea serving a zone with around 58,500 potential market inhabitants.
👉 Female participation:
More than half of local commerce is led by women, reflecting dynamism and entrepreneurship in neighborhood retail.
📈 4. Recent trends in employment and the labor market
👉 Employment and unemployment:
Ontinyent has recorded historically low unemployment rates in recent years, leading economic recovery in its surrounding comarca.
Employment data show a variety of job offers and continuous activity in March 2025.
🌱 5. Agriculture, tourism and other sectors
👉 Agriculture:
The city and its surroundings maintain traditional agricultural activity (vineyards, olive trees, almond trees, cereals), although with a smaller relative weight than industry and services.
👉 Tourism:
Cultural tourism (heritage, popular festivals, gastronomy) also contributes to the local economy, although it is not the main driver.
📌 Conclusion
Ontinyent’s economy combines a historic industrial base with a growing services sector and a diverse network of local businesses. Although textiles remain a distinctive element, the city has increased its economic resilience by expanding its business fabric and adapting to new labor and market demands.
📌 Sources consulted
🔗 Wikipedia — Onteniente (economy): https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onteniente
🔗 Ontinyent, center of the Valencian textile industry: https://agriculturaltoursvalencia.com/destinations/ontinyent-valencia/
🔗 Ontinyent en cifras 2025: https://www.elperiodic.com/ontinyent/ontinyent-consolida-progreso-empresas-7000-empleos-segun-estudio-ontinyent-xifres-2025_1050475
🔗 Statistics on services and companies: https://ateval.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Ontinyent-en-cifras.Informe-Socioeconomico-de-Ontinyent.pdf
🔗 Commercial market and demographics: https://ontinyent.portaldelcomerciante.com/es/municipio/cifras
