During the week from 27 December 2021 to 2 January 2022 included (week 52), the business courts pronounced 35 bankruptcies, resulting in a total of 40 job losses.
So the figures for week 52 reveal a decrease in the number of bankruptcies and job losses compared to the previous week.
Every year, the number of bankruptcies registered sharply decreases at the end of the year. This calendar effect also occurred last week.
During the 52 weeks of 2021, the business courts pronounced 6,516 bankruptcies. This figure is 9.3% lower than in the 52 weeks of 2020.
Job losses per bankruptcy are also 18.7% lower in 2021 than in the previous year. During the 52 weeks of 2021, 2.02 jobs were lost per bankruptcy while this ratio amounted to 2.48 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 52 weeks of the year
| Category | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021/2020 | 2021/2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bancruptcies | 10,593 | 7,181 | 6,516 | -9.26% | -38.49% |
| Job losses | 20,395 | 17,836 | 13,158 | -26.23% | -35.48% |
| Job losses/Bancruptcies | 1.93 | 2.48 | 2.02 | -18.70% | +4.88% |