3 out of 10 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are in difficulty following the energy crisis. This is an observation drawn up by the Union of the Middle Classes (UCM). Companies that until then had held up well following the pandemic, but the succession of crises is starting to weigh…
Golden galettes to perfection, cooked in a professional oven that has become a real money-maker. The energy crisis weighs on Jonathan’s bakery. €9,000 in invoices in August, for example. “We had to partially close for days. We closed a store completely”regrets Jonathan Mahy, bakery entrepreneur.
The independent adapts, to maintain 4 points of sale, and 12 employees. Survival mode is on. In Belgium, 3 out of 10 small or medium-sized enterprises are now in the same situation. “Investment level, obviously, it no longer makes us want to continue. We are afraid of burying ourselves”continues the entrepreneur.
Concretely, SMEs emerged from the covid crisis without too much damage. Thanks in particular to government aid. Then, in 2022, the energy and economic crisis is finishing them off. We then speak of companies that are financially sound, but with an increased lack of cash reserves. “The shocks we have experienced recently show us that precisely this redundant reserve is extremely important in order to be able to withstand sudden unforeseen shocks”informs Eric Van den Broele, director of research and development for a supplier of commercial data.
Companies with 1 to 4 employees are the most affected. In Belgium, 90 to 95% of companies are SMEs. They therefore employ less than 50 people. It’s 50% of the job market. The union of the middle classes fears for the survival of these jobs, in particular in the face of wage indexation of more than 10% in 2022. “Today, we have a real problem: you have a company of 10 people, all of a sudden, there is an 11th to pay who will never produce anything. Because 10% is one more person “explains Arnaud Deplae, secretary general of the UCM.
Despite everything, the union of the middle classes remains convinced that SMEs have a future. Mireille, owner of a family business of work clothes, is also convinced. 10 years ago, it invested in photovoltaic panels. And today, they provide 17% of its energy consumption. “I was at the school of my parents who always told me to leave the money in the company and to make the company grow. We do not distribute large dividends as there are in large companies We leave the money in the company in such a way that we can reinvest each time in an intelligent way”explains Mireille Rousseau, head of a textile company.
During the covid crisis, for example, Mireille reinvented herself. We had met her in 2020 when she was making fabric masks. For her, the secret of survival is anticipation and agility. “I worked a lot, from almost 4 a.m. until 9 or 10 p.m. each time without taking a weekend. But it was also an opportunity to say to yourself that we can also mean something”she says.
Another ray of hope: it concerns one-person SMEs. These freelancers, consultants for example, work for themselves. They represent 9 out of 10 SMEs in Belgium, a record! And they are the ones who are doing the best.
