In 2023, over 7,300 employees from 83 companies faced potential collective redundancies according to Monday’s statistics released by the Ministry for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue.
The rate of jobs at risk through collective redundancies significantly escalated from 2022, the previous year.
In that year, only 61 companies had indicated plans to conduct such measures, endangering 3,075 jobs. This record was the lowest for mass redundancies in over a decade.
The government data suggests that Flanders bore the brunt in 2023, with 62% of the total or 4,550 jobs threatened, compared to 1,879 (25.6%) in Wallonia and 910 (12.4%) in Brussels.
The province of Antwerp suffered the worst impact with 1,537 workers facing redundancy, followed by Hainaut (1,405) and Limburg (1,182). Conversely, the least impact was on Walloon Brabant, where 117 staff faced potential dismissal.
Petrochemical industry prominently featured in mass redundancy announcements with 1,572 jobs at stake, closely followed by the distribution sector (1,083 positions) and then textiles (1,017).
The year 2023 also saw structural adjustment announcements within Match-Profi Group (656 affected jobs), 3M Belgium (250 people in Zwijndrecht), Avery Denisson label and packaging company (245 positions in Soignies), Dreamland-Dreambaby within the Colruyt Group (192 jobs), the C&A clothing store chain (160 employees), and the Brussels sheltered employment company Manufast (100 people).
Usually, a collective redundancy kickstarts a consultation process between management and unions. This information and consultation process often results in a reduced number of actual redundancies.
