While the employment rate of people of all origins has significantly improved in Belgium over the past two decades, there are still marked differences between the various population groups.
The employment rate among native Belgians aged 20-64 rose from 67.3% in 2003 to 75.8% in 2022, but citizens from other EU backgrounds are doing almost as well or even better. The labour market position in Belgium is generally much better for people with an EU background, the latest figures from statistics agency Statbel showed on Tuesday.
The figures highlighted that the employment rate among people of "old" EU origins such as Italy or France is now 70.9%, while among citizens from countries which have more recently joined the EU (Poland, Romania and Bulgaria), the employment rate has even risen to 76.4%.
"The group of origin of EU13 countries occupies a specific position with an activity and employment rate that has increased remarkably over the past ten years or so," the agency wrote in a study.
Diversity of labour market
For the first time, Statbel took parents' nationality into account to define origin, which it argued provides more information on the diversity of the Belgian population. Last year, around one third of the Belgian population was of foreign origin, up from 19.5% some 20 years ago. "We can therefore say that the Belgian population has become increasingly diverse over the years."
When analysing the labour market for native Belgians and other EU citizens, Statbel found that their position is "much more favourable" than for those of non-EU origin.
"Among people of non-EU origin, the employment rate has increased significantly over a 20-year period, which means that the gap compared to the employment rate of those of Belgian origin has also narrowed," it stated.
However, it stressed that the gap among some specific origin groups such as North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and candidate EU Member States (i.e. mainly Turkey) still remains quite large, with differences ranging from 17.6 percentage points to 24.5 percentage points.
Statbel added that the new origin variable enabled it to study the composition of diverse occupational groups and economic sectors, finding that people with non-EU origin are "more likely to be employed as blue-collar workers and are strongly underrepresented in government jobs and in management positions."
Gender gap narrowing
In each origin group, meanwhile, women's participation in the Belgian labour market has evolved significantly over the last two decades, from 56.8% in 2003 to 66.8% in 2022. "The gap between men and women has therefore narrowed a lot, something we also see in the employment rate and the unemployment rate," Statbel noted.
The most significant changes were seen in people of Belgian origin, but the gender gap also narrowed considerably in other origin groups. Among people of North African origin and candidate EU countries, the change was less pronounced.
However, Statbel stressed that this is a sensitive subject matter which requires nuance. "We want to emphasise that the figures presented here are no more than a picture of a very complex reality where various factors play a role and where causal relationships cannot be unequivocally demonstrated and often play out in different directions."
It pointed out that some of the data comes from a sample that was extrapolated, so the margin of uncertainty is slightly larger for this group. Some groups also had a relatively small sample number in certain origin categories. In addition, other variables such as education level or family situation affect someone's position in the labour market.
"We therefore see this descriptive analysis rather as a starting point for more comprehensive explanatory analyses and scientific research," it concluded.
