Approximately 36,000 people currently in their first unemployment benefit period will receive warning letters from 14 February as part of Belgium’s unemployment insurance reform, the National Employment Office (Onem) announced on Friday.
The first wave of letters will be sent digitally through the eBox system starting Saturday, followed by postal dispatches on Monday. The reform affects individuals across all professional backgrounds regardless of their employment history.
In total, 13,963 people in Wallonia, 5,824 in Brussels, 15,926 in Flanders, and 180 in the German-speaking community will lose their unemployment benefits between 1 July 2026 and 1 July 2027.
The first group of unemployed affected by the new reforms were notified in September last year and lost their unemployment benefits on 1 January.
Those in the second benefit period were informed in January 2026, and one final round of warning letters will be sent in March 2026. This last stage concerns a small group receiving guaranteed income based on unemployment insertion allowances.
