4,000 job losses since announced 1 September

Since 1 September the loss of almost 4,000 jobs has been announced at companies across Belgium. The closure of the Caterpillar plant at Gosselies, near Charleroi (Hainaut) accounts for more than half of the job losses announced since the start of the month. Jobs cuts have also been announced at insurance companies and now at Douwe Egberts in Grimbergen.

Up until now September hasn’t been a good month for employment in Belgium. On Friday 2 September Caterpillar announced the closure of its Gosselies plant with the loss of 2,200. The announcement of the closure of the Caterpillar factory resulted in the scrapping of 120 jobs at its supplier Yusen Logistics.

Meanwhile significant job losses have been announced at the insurance companies P&V and AXA. 300 jobs will go at P&V between now and 2020 and 650 jobs will go at AXA over the next 2 years. Low interest rates have raised fears that yet more insurance company job losses could be on the cards.

In addition to this 40 jobs are to go at Eurostation with the same number being cut at Dana Belgium. The IT company IBM Belgium is cutting 228 jobs, while Printing Partners has announced the closure of its printing works at Groot-Bijgaard (Flemish-Brabant).

This closure will probably result in “several hundred people” losing their jobs. The closure of the coffee company Douwe Egberts’ Grimbergen plant will result in 274 job losses, bringing the total number of job cuts announced so far this month to nearly 4,000.