The increase in employment in Belgium is due to new positions within public administration, education, and healthcare, reports Het Nieuwsblad on Monday.
According to an analysis of the latest employment figures from the National Bank, the private sector in Belgium is stagnating, with Belgium’s employment engine slowing down and at risk of stopping entirely.
In 2023, the National Bank observed that job creation numbers were significantly lower than in previous years. This trend has continued into 2024.
The private sector has faced numerous bankruptcies and restructurings, including those at Van Hool, Audi, and Janssen Pharmaceutica. Consequently, the private sector lost about 6,000 jobs last year.
This figure is still provisional, as data for the last quarter of 2024, from October to December, is not yet available. However, for the first time since the pandemic year 2020, the government is generating jobs while the private sector loses them, according to Chief Economist at the Flemish employers’ organisation Voka, Bart Van Craeynest.
In the first nine months of 2024, the public sector, including defence and education, created 6,800 jobs. By the end of September, for the first time, more than 900,000 people were employed in the public sector.
The health and social services sectors, which are primarily government-funded, created 3,500 jobs.
