Although there are signs of economic recovery the number of companies which went bankrupt in the Netherlands in the first three months of this year is up 5% on the 2009 first quarter, according to the Volkskrant on Wednesday.

Figures from advisory firm Dun & Bradstreet show 1,769 firms went bust early this year, compared with 1,689 in the same period in 2009.
Transport and building firms were hardest hit, accounting for 112 bankrupties, almost double the 2009 Q1 total. Construction company bankruptcy rose 30%.
Dun & Bradstreet researcher Sabine Besselink told the paper the figures show the knock-on effect of the crisis. ‘Last year companies were able to complete long-running projects,’ she said. And transport companies, which have been struggling for years, no longer have enough buffers to tide them over more difficult times, she said.
Most bankruptcies were reported in Zeeland (32%) and Zuid-Holland (22%).