Building and operating·FindingProvisionalNew

Companies that file another type of planning application are less likely to grow their workforce strongly

Of the 461 companies with another type of planning application, 3.5% also had strong workforce growth in the following financial year, against 6.3% among similar companies.

Strong workforce growth in the financial year after the event

One measurement · 461 companies

0.55×

Less often than among similar companies.

95% interval
0.34× to 0.90×
Companies
461
Measurements
1 (second to follow)

Caveat A moderate unmeasured factor would be enough to explain the link away. Measured within one region only. A common cause, such as growth, a takeover or a restructuring, may explain both. The order may be reversed: the outcome may have been set in motion before the event was published. The source covers only part of the companies. The absolute difference is small, even though the factor is high. Read the title as an association, not as a cause.

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 accounts3.5%6.3%0.55×

How often does this happen?

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

Other planning application389 a month on average

More on other planning application

6 other findings

FindingWith the eventSimilarFactorResult
Companies that file another type of planning application are more than four times as likely to apply for a new-build permitBuilding and operating17.7%4.3%4.1×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are four times as likely to apply for a renovation or extension permitBuilding and operating8.5%2.1%4.0×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are three times as likely to apply for an environmental permitBuilding and operating19.4%6.6%2.9×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are almost three times as likely to open a site in another municipalityBuilding and operating3.9%1.5%2.6×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are more than twice as likely to open a new establishmentBuilding and operating4.9%2.2%2.3×Confirmed
All findings on other planning application

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
16 cases, 29 expected
Factor (95% interval)
0.55× (0.34× to 0.90×)
Multiple testing
q = 0.032 (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 file another type of planning application are less likely to grow their workforce strongly. Data up to September 2026. https://hunchleads.com/en/lab/vg-overig-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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