One in three Brussels entrepreneurs is considering leaving the city, according to the results of a barometer from the self-employed organisation Unizo on Wednesday.
The results are shocking, as the proportion of those wanting to leave has increased significantly; in the previous survey, it was one in five.
"When one in three entrepreneurs is considering leaving today, that is a clear political alarm signal. This figure shows how deeply confidence has fallen," said Julie Huntz, Brussels advisor at Unizo.
"Entrepreneurs do not just leave: they have their customers, team and network here. You do not leave that behind lightly," she said. "Entrepreneurs create jobs, investments and economic dynamism. So you have to try to keep them here at all costs."
The Unizo barometer also shows that more than half of Brussels entrepreneurs are seeing a decline in profitability and that order books are filling up less quickly: two out of three report fewer orders or customers.
"Due to the economic and Brussels reality, our companies are putting large and necessary investments on hold," said Huntz.
"Only 20% are planning IT investments, 23% are considering research or development, and the green transition (5%) and social initiatives (6 per cent) are already completely off the table."
