Business confidence among Flemish SMEs is plummeting. This is evident from the SME barometer of the Unizo business organization. SMEs are mainly pessimistic about their profitability and the increasing number of late payments.
“After a small recovery last quarter, we are again seeing a negative trend. This is very disturbing,” says Unizo CEO Danny Van Assche. According to Unizo, the profitability problems are largely due to the sharply rising wage costs and the still expensive energy bills. The increasing number of late payers is also a cause for concern. The trade association therefore criticizes “the far-reaching and ever-increasing protection that consumers enjoy in the event of non-payment”.
The SME barometer has recorded a negative score for the eighth quarter in a row. With a score of -10.57, there is a clear deterioration compared to June, when the score was -3.39. There is relatively great dissatisfaction with the economy and order books are becoming less full, both in the short and longer term.
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