During the week from 24 to 30 May included (week 21), the business courts pronounced 73 bankruptcies, resulting in a total of 111 job losses. So the figures for week 21 reveal a decrease in the number of bankruptcies and job losses compared to the previous week. The number of bankruptcies pronounced is generally lower during the week following Whit Sunday. This calendar effect also occurred last week.
During the first 21 weeks of 2021, the business courts pronounced 2,465 bankruptcies. This figure is 22.3% lower than in the first 21 weeks of 2020. However, job losses per bankruptcy are 13.3% higher in 2021 than in the previous year. During the first 21 weeks of 2021, 2.3 jobs were lost per bankruptcy while this ratio amounted to 2.0 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 21 weeks of the year
| Category | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021/2020 | 2021/2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bancruptcies | 4,449 | 3,171 | 2,465 | -22.26% | -44.59% |
| Job losses | 8,925 | 6,417 | 5,653 | -11.91% | -36.66% |
| Job losses/Bancruptcies | 2.01 | 2.02 | 2.29 | +13.33% | +14.32% |