Belgium has seen a marked rise in the number of people moving from unemployment benefits to sickness insurance since September 2025, according to preliminary monitoring by the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (Inami), reported by Le Soir on Saturday.
Inami said the increase began when the first letters were sent to claimants informing them that their unemployment benefits would soon end under the reform.
The institute noted that, during the first months of 2025, the number of people moving from unemployment to incapacity for work had consistently fallen compared with 2024. From September onwards, however, the trend reversed sharply.
Compared with the same months a year earlier, the number of such transfers rose by 7% in September 2025, 18% in October and 45% in December, according to Inami.
Overall, transfers to sickness and disability insurance increased by 4.3% in 2025 compared with 2024. By contrast, they had fallen by 2.37% between 2023 and 2024.
If the trend continues, 2026 could see record levels, as the increase has become particularly pronounced.
Inami said it is not yet known how many of those transfers involve people who were close to losing their unemployment benefits. However, it said the sharp rise observed from September 2025 may at least partly be explained by the unemployment reform.
The institute said it would continue to monitor the situation closely, including by analysing the impact of the second and third waves of exclusions from unemployment benefits on sickness and disability insurance.
