During the week from 26 April to 2 May included (week 17), the business courts pronounced 109 bankruptcies, resulting in a total of 199 job losses. Both figures are in line with those of the previous week.
During the first 17 weeks of 2021, the business courts pronounced 1,991 bankruptcies. This figure is 30.7% lower than in the first 17 weeks of 2020. However, job losses per bankruptcy are 16.8% higher in 2021 than in the previous year. During the first 17 weeks of 2021, 2.4 jobs were lost per bankruptcy while this ratio amounted to 2.1 in the same period in 2020.
This is what emerged from the weekly bankruptcy figures produced by Statbel based on the orders of business courts. These interim weekly estimates make it possible to quickly observe the first trends.
The number of bankruptcies and job losses for the first 17 weeks of the year
| Category | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021/2020 | 2021/2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bancruptcies | 3,517 | 2,872 | 1,991 | -30.68% | -43.39% |
| Job losses | 7,306 | 5,907 | 4,783 | -19.03% | -34.53% |
| Job losses/Bancruptcies | 2.08 | 2.06 | 2.40 | +16.80% | +15.64% |