During the week from 22 to 28 February included (week 8), the business courts pronounced 115 bankruptcies, resulting in a total of 270 job losses. The number of bankruptcies is in line with that of the previous weeks.
During the first eight weeks of 2021, the business courts pronounced 925 bankruptcies. This figure is 42 % lower than in the first eight weeks of 2020. However, job losses per bankruptcy are 25 % higher in 2021 than in the previous year. So during the first eight weeks of 2021, there were 2.6 job losses per bankruptcy while this ratio amounted to 2.1 during 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 8 weeks of the year
| Category | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021/2020 | 2021/2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bancruptcies | 1,549 | 1,591 | 925 | -41.86% | -40.28% |
| Job losses | 2,900 | 3,365 | 2,445 | -27.34% | -15.69% |
| Job losses/Bancruptcies | 1.87 | 2.12 | 2.64 | +24.97% | +41.19% |