During the week from 4 to 10 October included (week 40), the business courts pronounced 180 bankruptcies, resulting in a total of 270 job losses.
The figures for week 40 reveal an increase in the number of bankruptcies and job losses compared to the previous week.
During the first 40 weeks of 2021, the business courts pronounced 4,679 bankruptcies. This figure is 16.0% lower than in the first 40 weeks of 2020.
Job losses per bankruptcy are also 12.9% lower in 2021 than in the previous year. During the first 40 weeks of 2021, 2.13 jobs were lost per bankruptcy while this ratio amounted to 2.45 in the same period in 2020.
The number of bankruptcies and job losses for the first 40 weeks of the year
| Category | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021/2020 | 2021/2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bancruptcies | 8,020 | 5,567 | 4,679 | -15.95% | -41.66% |
| Job losses | 15,856 | 13,642 | 9,982 | -26.83% | -37.05% |
| Job losses/Bancruptcies | 1.98 | 2.45 | 2.13 | -12.94% | +7.91% |
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.