The transition of the Belgian labour market towards a low-carbon economy is progressing too slowly, revealed a report by the High Council for Employment presented on Thursday.
In 2022, employment in the environmental sector represented 2.3% of total employment in Belgium. This percentage has barely increased and has seen a slight decrease since 2019. It remains below the European average and well below the Scandinavian percentage.
More labour mobility is needed for the green transition, but according to the council, there is currently not enough of it. Both regional and inter-sectoral mobility in Belgium are very low.
Additionally, too few students are graduating in scientific and technical fields such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) to support the green transition.
"We have somewhat missed the STEM train," said Steven Vanackere, vice-president of the council. "It also remains a male-dominated sector. We need to make more efforts to attract more women to STEM fields and jobs."
Between 1995 and 2022, employment in emission-intensive (polluting) sectors decreased by nearly 50%. The metal industry, in particular, saw a significant decline (-22.7%).
"The transformation will not be easy, but we must reinvent the economy," said David Clarinval (MR), Minister of Employment, Economy, and Agriculture. "Traditional sectors should not be dismantled but modernised."
The council made several recommendations. There is a need for stronger STEM policies to attract more inactive people, women, and older workers. The green transition should create more opportunities for all workers, and the labour market should be more engaged in climate policy.
Additionally, initiatives should be introduced to allow people to retrain for technical roles easily.
