During the first half of 2024, forty-six companies announced mass redundancies, according to data released by the federal Employment Department on Friday.
This had a direct impact on 4,532 workers, the highest figure for a first semester since 2014.
The announcement by bus manufacturer Van Hool in March that it was cutting 1,100 jobs had a significant effect on these statistics. Van Hool subsequently declared bankruptcy. The mass layoffs ultimately did not take place, but about 2,500 employees still lost their jobs at the company.
Between January and the end of June, in addition to the 46 companies announcing job cuts, 32 redundancy procedures were formally concluded.
