Monthly evolution of the consumer price index and of the so-called health index, which is used for the price indexation of wages, social benefits and house-rent.
Short Term Update (STU) is the quarterly newsletter of the Belgian Federal Planning Bureau. It contains, in English, the main conclusions from the publications of the FPB, as well as information on new publications, together with an analysis of the most recent economic indicators.
In close cooperation with the Directorate-General of Statistics and Economic Information (DGSEI), the Federal Planning Bureau produces long-term population projections on a regular basis. First, demographic data from the National Register are consolidated by the DGSEI. Subsequently, based on those statistics for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 which lead the observed population on 1 January 2010, the Federal Planning Bureau established new population projections. The latter replace the population projections 2007-2010 available on the websites of both institutions up to that moment. Since their completion in April 2011, the new population projections are employed in the FPB’s various economic projection activities and were as such integrated in the preparatory activities to the government formation.
More than before, the continuous increase in life expectancy and, especially, the recovery of the fertility rate among Belgian women - in particular in the Brussels and Flemish Regions - and the increased international immigration over the past years contribute to the future population growth. In 2060, the population in Belgium and in the Brussels Region (equaling 10.839.855 and 1.089.568 persons, respectively, on 1 January 2010) should amount to 13.515.000 and 1.475.200 persons, respectively. In addition, the population should be younger than anticipated before, yet the old age dependency ratio for Belgium should still increase considerably from 26 elderly persons per 100 active persons in 2010 to 42 in 2060 (compared to 45 in the previous projection).
Competition is a complex and hard-to-measure phenomenon. Nevertheless, it is a central concept in the economy and should be adjusted in the event that its course appears to be problematic. This study aims at grasping the intensity and the evolution of competition in Belgium in relation to other EU Member States and is based on eight benchmarks, each of which measures one specific feature of competition. Approximately half of those benchmarks have evolved favourably over the past decade. That was also the case for other member states, as a result of which Belgium’s relative position in terms of competition did not improve. For Belgium, two crucial benchmarks displayed an unfavourable evolution: prices, which strongly increased with regard to other Member States, and, in their wake, price/cost margins.
A better understanding of productivity evolution requires a specially adapted statistical tool that allows an industry-based analysis of the fundamental trends of the economy. Therefore, the Federal Planning Bureau is working with other European institutions on a project, financed by the European Union’s sixth framework programme for research, to develop the EUKLEMS database.
The database EUKLEMS contains the variables for analysing the evolution of productivity at the industry-level from 1970 to 2007, for all European countries, Australia, Japan, Korea and the US. The last release of the database was realised in November 2009, for 32 industries. The available variables concern production, value added, intermediary consumption, employment and the skill level of the labour force, capital with a distinction between capital linked to information and communication technologies (ICT) or not. The growth contributions of both the different production factors and total factor productivity are also available. An update was carried out in March 2011; it provides a 72-industry breakdown of variables published in November 2009, for most countries.
