The employment rate for individuals aged between 20 and 64 stood at 72.3% in Belgium last year, according to the latest Labour Force Survey from statistics body Statbel.
The employment rate was ‘fairly stable’ last year compared to 2023, the report noted, adding that in order for Belgium to achieve an employment rate of 80% by 2029, an additional 550,000 people will need to be employed.
In Flanders, the employment rate stood at 76.9% last year, while in Wallonia, it was 67.1%, and in Brussels 64.1%.
Employment rate since 2000
‘When we look at the employment rate over a period of 25 years, we see that it has shown a slight upward trend since 2000,’ Statbel said. ‘In 2000, the employment rate was 65.8% and in 2024, the percentage of employed people was 6.5 percentage points higher (72.3%).’
Notably, the data showed that the employment rate gap between men and women has significantly narrowed since the turn of the century – in 2024, 76.3% of men and 68.3% of women were employed, a significant difference compared to 2000 when the gap was 19.5 percentage points.
The employment rate for individuals aged between 55 and 64 has also risen dramatically – in 2000, 26.3% of over-55s were employed, wile last year, this figure stood at 59.4%.
Employment among low-skilled workers
Employment rates for low-skilled workers remain low, with only 47.5% employed in 2024, while employment is also low among those with long-term disabilities (24.9%) and individuals with non-EU27 nationalities (58%), Statbel noted.
In terms of the employment rate in the fourth quarter alone, an estimated rate of 72.8% was recorded, compared to 72.3% in the third quarter of 2024. Only in Flanders did the employment rate increase between the third and fourth quarters of 2024.
Of those aged between 20 and 64, a total of 4,945,000 people are employed in Belgium, the data showed. Read more here.
