Companies that receive a growth grant are more than twice as likely to grow their workforce strongly
Of the 275 companies with a growth grant, 14.5% also had strong workforce growth in the following financial year, against 6.8% among similar companies.
Strong workforce growth in the financial year after the event
One measurement · 275 companies
After a growth grant14.5%
Similar companies6.8%
2.1×
as often as among similar companies.
- 95% interval
- 1.6× to 2.9×
- Companies
- 275
- Measurements
- 1 (second to follow)
Source: Hunch Lab, cohort study of 1,141,228 Belgian companies. Compared within sector, size and age, with companies active in the same period.hunchleads.com/en/lab
Does it hold up?
This finding rests on a single measurement. The second follows with the next financial year.
| Measurement | Period | With the event | Similar | Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial year 2025 | event in 2024, workforce in the 2025 accounts | 14.5% | 6.8% | 2.1× |
Technical note
Methodology- Design
- Retrospective cohort study
- Population studied
- 1,141,228 Belgian companies (the full business register)
- Comparison group
- Same sector (NACE section) and headcount band, indirect standardisation
- Cohorts
- event in 2024, workforce in the 2025 accounts
- Observed and expected
- 40 cases, 19 expected
- Factor (95% interval)
- 2.1× (1.6× to 2.9×)
- Multiple testing
- q < 0.001 (Benjamini-Hochberg)
- Second measurement
- to follow
- Employers only
- n/a
- Data up to
- September 2026
Cite this findingFree to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
Hunch Lab (2026). Companies that receive a growth grant are more than twice as likely to grow their workforce strongly. Data up to September 2026. https://hunchleads.com/en/lab/subsidie-groei-personeelgroeiAbout Hunch Lab
Hunch Lab is the research programme of Hunch. Every finding is free to reuse with attribution. Questions are welcome.
Share this finding
A shared link shows the card automatically. The image (1080 x 1350) is made for LinkedIn or Instagram.