Building and operating·FindingNo link

Companies that apply for an environmental permit are no more likely to grow their workforce strongly

Companies with an environmental permit application were no more likely to have strong workforce growth in the following financial year than similar companies: 6.2% against 6.0%. The measurement rules out a link of 1.4 times or more.

Strong workforce growth in the financial year after the event

One measurement · 1,367 companies

1.0×

No meaningful difference from similar companies.

95% interval
0.84× to 1.3×
Companies
1,367
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.

MeasurementPeriodWith the eventSimilarFactor
Financial year 2025event in 2024, workforce in the 2025 accounts6.2%6.0%1.0×

How often does this happen?

Belgian companies with the event, per month, over the last twelve complete months.

Environmental permit884 a month on average

More on environmental permit

6 other findings

FindingWith the eventSimilarFactorResult
Companies that apply for an environmental permit are almost four times as likely to apply to buildBuilding and operating14.8%4.0%3.7×Confirmed Companies that apply for an environmental permit are more than three times as likely to file another type of planning applicationBuilding and operating9.7%2.8%3.5×Confirmed Companies that apply for an environmental permit are more than three times as likely to apply for a renovation or extension permitBuilding and operating4.8%1.5%3.3×Confirmed Companies that apply for an environmental permit are more than twice as likely to open a site in another municipalityBuilding and operating3.7%1.7%2.2×Confirmed Companies that apply for an environmental permit are 1.9 times as likely to open a new establishmentBuilding and operating4.6%2.4%1.9×Confirmed
All findings on environmental permit

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
85 cases, 82 expected
Factor (95% interval)
1.0× (0.84× to 1.3×)
Multiple testing
q = 0.88 (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 apply for an environmental permit are no more likely to grow their workforce strongly. Data up to September 2026. https://hunchleads.com/en/lab/vg-exploitatie-personeelgroei

Figures for this finding (CSV)

About Hunch Lab

Hunch Lab is the research programme of Hunch. Every finding is free to reuse with attribution. Questions are welcome.

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