During the week from 22 to 28 March included (week 12), the business courts pronounced 95 bankruptcies, resulting in a total of 129 job losses. So the figures for week 12 reveal a decrease in the number of bankruptcies and job losses in comparison with the previous week.
During the first twelve weeks of 2021, the business courts pronounced 1,426 bankruptcies. This figure is 43.2% lower than in the first twelve weeks of 2020. However, job losses per bankruptcy are 16.5% higher in 2021 than in the previous year. So during the first twelve weeks of 2021, there were 2.38 job losses per bankruptcy while this ratio amounted to 2.04 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 12 weeks of the year
| Category | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021/2020 | 2021/2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bancruptcies | 2,466 | 2,511 | 1,426 | -43.21% | -42.17% |
| Job losses | 5,525 | 5,126 | 3,390 | -33.87% | -38.64% |
| Job losses/Bancruptcies | 2.24 | 2.04 | 2.38 | +16.45% | +6.11% |