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Employment / HR
Long-term unemployment fell in the last legislature from 4.3 to 2.9%, according to figures from Eurostat, the European Statistical Office.
The regional differences between Flanders and Wallonia have increased. "In Hainaut, the number of long-term unemployed is six times higher than in East Flanders," said Monday the economist of the University of Ghent (UGent) Stijn Baert. The number of long-term unemployed, who have been looking for work for more than a year, decreased in all Belgian provinces during the last legislature, except in the province of Namur. They represent 2.9% of the Belgian workforce, compared to 4.3% previously. In Flanders, the proportion fell from 1.9 to 1.2% while in Wallonia it decreased from 6.6% in 2014 to 4.8% in 2018.
Stijn Baert sees an increase in regional differences. "Wallonia has experienced less economic growth, the labor market is doing the same." But there is also a different "culture" in terms of activation policy, according to the Flemish economist. "Brussels and Wallonia have subscribed to the Flemish model but we will not see the fruits of change before years," he says.
According to Baert, "low educated people" are strongly represented among those job seekers who can not find work, especially for the older ones. "For the younger ones, the level of training is less often a problem."
In Flanders as well as in Wallonia, the labor market does not easily accommodate the elderly. Walloon Brabant has the best employment rate for over 55s, with 57.8% for 55-64 year-olds.
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