This was one of the concerns given the slowdown in activity: would business bankruptcies get out of control in 2023? According to the Banque de France, 55,942 bankruptcies were registered in 2023, compared to 41,297 in 2022.
A sharp increase that must be put into perspective in view of the Covid-19 pandemic: in addition to the public support measures, the dates of characterization and declaration of the default status were temporarily modified during the health crisis.
Back to normal
In short, the trend is quite reassuring for 2023, despite the gloomy economic situation, with a return to normality compared to before the health crisis. The number of business bankruptcies registered in 2023 is still 6.5% lower than in the years 2010-2019, when there were almost 60,000 bankruptcies annually on average. “The figures are quite good,” business mediator Pierre Pelouzet reacted this Friday morning on the set of BFM Business.
Sectors to monitor
The number of company bankruptcies “remains reasonable, especially because there are many company creations,” estimates the Business Mediator. But “there are still some sectors that need to be supervised,” he adds, referring, among other things, to clothing.
For example, insolvencies increased by 44.6% in accommodation and restaurants, 40.4% in real estate activities or 38.7% in construction in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Inflation is “starting to fall a little bit,” as is energy, two big areas of major concern for businesses recently, he notes. “We see that business leaders have endured. If they have endured through everything we have experienced, there is no reason why they cannot endure when “the economy improves,” says Pierre Pelouzet. By 2024, insolvencies should remain, on average , around 55,000, according to Allianz Trade forecasts.
According to these economists, the high level of corporate margins (33%) and slightly more buoyant economic activity this year would prevent a worsening of bankruptcies in the coming months.
Source: BFM TV
