During the week from 7 to 13 December included (week 50), the business courts pronounced 94 bankruptcies, resulting in 147 job losses. Both figures are in line with those of week 49.
During the first 50 weeks of 2020, the business courts pronounced 6,898 bankruptcies. This number is lower than that of the same period in 2018 (-27.3%) and 2019 (-31.8%). These 6,898 bankruptcies resulted in a total of 16,763 job losses. The ratio of job losses per bankruptcy therefore amounts to 2.43. This figure is higher than that of the same period in 2018 (1.74) 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 50 of the year
| Category | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2020/2019 | 2020/2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bancruptcies | 9,485 | 10,109 | 6,898 | -31.76% | -27.27% |
| Job losses | 16,508 | 19,528 | 16,763 | -14.16% | +1.54% |
| Job losses/Bancruptcies | 1.74 | 1.93 | 2.43 | +25.80% | +39.63% |
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.