Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC)

Press release: Foreign companies invest record amount and create record number of jobs

Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), of which the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC) is a proud structural partner, announced that in 2022, Flanders saw a record level of foreign direct investment with €5.26 billion invested by foreign companies and a total of 6,540 jobs created by 278 new investment projects. The region is seeing a trend of investment in strategic sectors, particularly in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries as well as in climate tech and the energy transition. Flanders also maintains a strong international reputation for innovation, with a high percentage of foreign investment in R&D activities.

In terms of job creation, American investments were particularly strong, surpassing European projects for the first time in five years by creating 2,870 jobs. Additionally, manufacturing jobs represented a significant portion of the new positions announced. The majority of foreign direct investments in Flanders were greenfield projects, while mergers and acquisitions decreased from the previous year. Expansion projects also made up a large proportion of job creation, accounting for 65% of the jobs generated by foreign investment.

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