Brussels (Brussels Mroning) – In Belgium, over 42,000 businesses were established from May 2023 to April 2024, marking a 3.3% increase, with Brussels showing significant growth. New regulations and labour costs influence this trend.
From 1 May 2023 to 30 April 2024, more than 42,000 businesses were created in Belgium – a peak of +3.3%, reports Belgium’s Federation of Notaries. The increase is even more prominent in the Brussels-Capital Region.
How did different regions contribute to new businesses?
Flanders independently accounts for more than half of those stats, with 26,352 companies set up last year. In Wallonia, the number increased by 1%, with 9,710 companies started. With 6,098 new firms created, Brussels recorded an increase of 11.4%.Â
What factors influenced the rise in business creation?
According to Fednot, the elevation of new companies can be attributed to the new Parties and Associations Code (CSA) that came into force on 1 May 2019. The legislator expected that the CSA would “promote entrepreneurship” – a system that seems to have worked as substantial increases in newly established companies have been reported since 2019. “The business community has adjusted smoothly to the new legislation,” the federation stated.
“The new regulations offer more flexibility for start-ups and this translates into the figures: in the year before the CAC entered into force, there was a standard of 2,111 start-ups per month; meanwhile, there are 3,513,” states Jan Sap, CEO of Fednot.
What are the demographics of company founders?
The entrepreneur barometer indicates that company founders have an average age of 39, with 56% aged between 25 and 40. The proportion of creators older than 40 is 38.3%.
Fednot President Katrin Roggeman states that the new regulations are simpler and offer more business options, eventually giving companies greater flexibility. Companies that have not yet revised their bylaws (the deadline was 31 December 2023) can still confer their notary, Fednot stressed.
How did labour costs evolve in Belgium?
Moreover, it has come to light that Belgium is among the European countries with the most elevated hourly labour cost and last year, this figure further expanded by more than 9% and was found to be the highest in Brussels.
A company in Belgium paid an average of €27.44 in labour expenses per worked hour last year, human resources consultancy Securex estimated based on data from 20,847 companies. This observes a 9.1% increase compared to 2022.
What were the labour cost variations among regions?
At €31.45 (+ 9%), an hour performed costs companies in Brussels the most, observed by Flanders with €29.10 (+ 8.3%). In Wallonia, the price per worked hour is the lowest, at €25, but the southern region did register the biggest increase (+9.7%). “Overall, the growth is evenly distributed across all regions,” Securex reported. “However, there are significant discrepancies between sectors, both among blue and white-collar workers.”
