With data that reveal both growth and structural tensions, the report invites you to reflect on the health of the country’s productive ecosystem, its relationship with employment and the challenges posed by the regional and international situation.
According to the report, in the period analyzed, 200,191 active companies were registered, a figure that represents a 1.05% increase compared to the previous quarter and 4.32% compared to the same quarter of 2024
This evolution marks a positive dynamism in the creation of economic units, although it does not necessarily translate into direct improvements in the labor market: occupied personnel fell 0.54% with respect to the previous quarter, despite an interannual increase of 2.43%. The paradox is evident: more companies in activity do not mean, in this case, more jobs.
Birth and death of companies: lights and shadows of dynamism
The INE report details that 10,638 new companies were born in this quarter, with a slight increase of 1.57% in relation to the previous period and 2.36% in interannual terms. However, employment figures in these new firms are less encouraging: occupied personnel associated with them fell 4.23% compared to the previous quarter.
This contrast reveals a key phenomenon of the Uruguayan productive structure: the birth of companies is concentrated in small units, of low labor absorption capacity, in many cases with self -employment or precarious work dynamics.
On the other side of the equation, the quarter registered 7,662 business deaths, with a decline with respect to the previous period (-3.02%), although with an increase of 5.10% if compared with the same quarter of 2024. that is, although there is a certain conjunctural containment in the closure of companies, the interannual tendency indicates an increase in business fragility. The employment associated with these deaths was 10,839 people, a fact that suggests the persistence of a social impact not less on the rotation of the labor market.
The Uruguayan situation in perspective
The analysis of business demography cannot be separated from the general economic indicators of Uruguay in 2025. According to the Central Bank and international organizations, the country records moderate growth of GDP around 2% annual, sustained by agro -export, renewable energies and global services. However, difficulties persist in the domestic market, affected by the slowdown of private consumption and inflation tensions.
Unemployment, which is located around 8%, reflects a disconnection between business dynamism and the ability to generate quality employment. The Uruguayan business structure remains dominated by small and medium enterprises (more than 95% of the total), which partly explains the difficulty of climbing productively and generating stable positions. This panorama resembles that of several countries in the region, where the proliferation of microenterprises lives with high vulnerability to global competition and lack of accessible credit.
Market, labor and company -society relationship
Beyond the numbers, the INE report opens the door to a critical analysis of the relationship between market and labor in Uruguay. As the document points out: “In the second quarter of 2025 there were 200,191 active companies, which represents an interannual increase of 4.32%”
The figure itself can be read as a sign of entrepreneurial vitality. However, if it is linked to the quarterly fall of employment, a background question arises: are we facing a growth model that multiplies companies, but not necessarily decent work?
The phenomenon is explained, in part, by the rise of flexible work forms and digital platforms, which allow the birth of many microenterprises or unipersonal, but at the same time dilute classical labor guarantees. This scenario reflects a global tension: the market capacity to create companies does not always correspond to the responsibility of guaranteeing decent and sustainable employment.
A humanistic approach in the economic debate
Business demography should not be analyzed solely from the optics of the market, but also from its human and social impact. Each company birth brings with it the expectation of new opportunities, innovation and development; Each closure, on the other hand, entails the loss of income, truncated projects and a blow to community cohesion.
In Uruguay, where public policies have tried to balance competitiveness with social protection, the INE report directly challenges political decisors: how to accompany this business dynamism to translate into stable jobs and an inclusive development model?
The regional comparison offers alert lights. In countries such as Chile or Colombia, the growth of the number of companies has been marked by high informality and precariousness.
Uruguay, with its tradition of labor institutions and tripartite dialogue, has the opportunity to differentiate itself, provided that SME support policies, access to credit and stimulus to innovation translate into a true bridge between company and society.
Beyond the numbers …
The INE report on business demography in the second quarter of 2025 is, apparently, good news: more companies, more dynamism, more economic vitality. However, critical reading reveals a complex scenario, where the proliferation of new firms coexists with significant closures and with a limited capacity for employment generation.
Uruguay is facing the challenge of converting business multiplication into sustainable development, understanding that the economy is not measured solely in figures for the creation or destruction of productive units, but in the quality of employment, innovation and in the social contribution of companies.
As the comparative experience warns, the risk is to celebrate business dynamism without wondering who earns and who loses in that process. The INE report, read in a public policy key and with a humanistic look, constitutes an indispensable input to guide the debate on the country’s productive future.
*Journalist. Collaborator of El Eco y Apu.uy Member #Redleal #Reddialoga and #Redperiodistas Migrantes
