| Content | In the past month of May, 870 enterprises were declared bankrupt. Compared to the figure of May last year (1.032, then the absolute record for a month of May), the number of bankruptcies recorded during the past month of May was considerably low. This has to be mainly associated with the number of holidays falling in May. Yet the current figure is the second highest for a month of May. Between January and May 4.525 enterprises thus went to the wall (last year there were 4.499).
In the Flemish Region, during the first five months of this year an increase of the number of bankruptcies of +4,10% was noted compared to the same period last year. In the Walloon Region there was a decrease of -2,22% and in the Brussels-Capital Region the decrease amounted to -2,52%. As far as the provinces are concerned, increases were noted in East Flanders (+19,96%), Antwerp (+2,93%) and Liège (+8,11%) over the same period, whereas in the remaining provinces bankruptcies are decreasing
compared to the first five months of 2011.
Between January and May, 10.127 jobs in total were put at risk as a result of the bankruptcy of the employer: 9% more than last year and the largest number ever since 2003. In the Walloon Region we note for that matter an increase of 7%, in the Flemish Region an increase of 20%.
The sharp increase in the Flemish Region has to be directly related to the following bankruptcies: JLF from Oudenaarde (adjudication order dated 29/05; according to the latest balance sheet the company employed 422 people, the worst bankruptcy of this year so far), Belgian Refining Corporation from Antwerp (adjudication order dated 15/05; according to the latest balance sheet the company employed 221 people) and Ekspro from Turnhout (adjudication order of 03/05; the company employed 213 people).
Only in the Brussels-Capital Region the number of jobs lost decreased by -11%. Nevertheless, here also a bankruptcy involving more than 100 employees was recorded: the failure of People Interim (adjudication order dated 21/05).
As far as 2012 is concerned, we already count 7 bankrupt enterprises with over 100 employees on payroll. In the entire year of 2011 we only counted 9 of the kind.
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