The number of job vacancies in March dropped by 10% compared to the same month last year, according to data from VDAB.
The labour market intermediary revealed they received 21,897 vacancy submissions during March.
Over the past twelve months, approximately 261,000 vacancies were directly reported to VDAB—an 11% decrease compared to the previous year.
Vacancies originating through recruitment and selection agencies also fell, declining by 7% in March.
Meanwhile, temporary employment assignments showed a significantly sharper drop, down by nearly 24% compared to a year earlier.
According to VDAB, there was also 2.1% increase in Flanders among unemployed people in March.
Last month also marked the entry into force of the new wave of the De Wever government's reforms across the country.
These included removing unemployment benefits for individuals who have been jobless for between 8 and 20 years. It follows an earlier phase-out for those unemployed for 20+ years on January 1, 2026.
The Belgian Court of Audit had previously indicated that while these measures are aimed at reducing the budget deficit, many affected individuals would be unlikely to find work immediately.
The unemployment rate in the Brussels Region stood at 15% at the end of March, a slight increase (+0.67 percentage points) compared with March 2025, the regional employment agency Actiris announced last week
