During the week from 23 to 29 November included (week 48), the business courts pronounced 120 bankruptcies, resulting in 243 job losses. These figures are in line with those of the previous week, both in terms of bankruptcies and job losses.
During the first 48 weeks of 2020, the business courts pronounced 6,665 bankruptcies. This number is lower than that of the same period in 2018 (-26.1 %) and 2019 (-30.5 %). These 6,665 bankruptcies resulted in a total of 16,432 job losses. The ratio of job losses per bankruptcy therefore amounts to 2.47. This figure is higher than that of the same period in 2018 (1.75) and 2019 (1.93). So there were fewer bankruptcies in 2020, but comparatively more job losses per bankruptcy.
Evolution of the number of bankruptcies and job losses per year until week 48 of the year
| Category | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2020/2019 | 2020/2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bancruptcies | 9,024 | 9,586 | 6,665 | -30.47% | -26.14% |
| Job losses | 15,786 | 18,546 | 16,432 | -11.40% | +4.09% |
| Job losses/Bancruptcies | 1.75 | 1.93 | 2.47 | +27.43% | +40.93% |
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.