Some 30,607 living wage recipients were registered with the Flemish employment office (VDAB) in 2024.
This represents a sharp increase on the 17,967 beneficiaries recorded in 2022, according to figures requested by Flemish MP Ine Tombeur (N-VA) from the regional Employment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA).
Since May 2024, living wage recipients have been required to register with the VDAB. The aim of the measure is to increase the number of people in work, as barely a fifth of all living wage recipients are working after one year. However, if living wage recipients are registered with the VDAB, this figure rises to 40%.
The Flemish Government aims to achieve an employment rate of 80% in the region.
However, according to Tombeur, compulsory registration is not the only explanation for this increase in the number of beneficiaries registered with the regional employment office. She points in particular to the partnerships between local authorities and the VDAB, but also to the compulsory registration of displaced Ukrainians.
Tombeur also wants to monitor the number of living wage recipients who are actually activated. "In the figures, we see a relative drop in the number of people going out to work over a 12-month period," she said.
"This can be explained by the fact that the obligation naturally leads to the registration of a greater number of living wage recipients in regions where the distance to the labour market is even greater. This may be due to insufficient knowledge of Dutch, psychosocial problems, dependency problems or practical obstacles such as mobility or childcare."
