Almost one in three (30.6%) Belgian jobseekers never hear back from a potential employer, even after taking an assessment or in-depth test, according to a survey of 1,700 people released this week. This is a rise from 26.4% last year.
The figures, released by Acerta and job site StepStone Belgium, highlight the struggles people face when looking for work in Belgium.
"We are seeing that employers are once again receiving more applications per vacancy," said Naomi Ruelens, recruitment expert at Acerta. "That is positive in itself, but it also increases the administrative burden of the selection process. This makes it more challenging to follow up with each candidate individually."
Recent data from Actiris shows a growing share of people have been looking for a job for one to two years, with young people particularly affected by Belgium's weakened economy.
Acerta's survey shows that three in four people (75.3%) aged under 30 regularly apply for jobs without receiving a reply, and 72.7% almost never get invited to a first interview.
This compares to 65.2% of the overall population saying they almost never receive a response to their job applications, and 68.5% who never get invited to a first interview.
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The reason for this is linked to structural changes in who is job seeking and the roles available, according to Ruelens.
For young people, the challenge is "partly because AI is taking over some of their tasks and partly because there are more experienced candidates available on the labour market than there were a few years ago."
Jobseekers between the ages of 31 and 50 are more likely to get a response, according to the survey, with more than half (55.9%) reporting getting an answer to an application.
The survey also shows that people who already have a job are more likely to receive a response to their application than those who don't (50.2% vs 71.5%).
Ruelens encourages employers to consider providing feedback, with email being the preferred method indicated in the survey.
"Our figures show that transparent communication about the status of an application is highly valued," she said. "An automatic confirmation of receipt, an update on how the process is progressing, or a brief explanation of a decision can provide candidates with extra clarity."
