On Friday, Prime Minister Charles Michel celebrated recent reports by the Bureau du Plan and National Bank, as they show a lot of jobs were created in 2016.
“The figures provided by the Federal Bureau du Plan and National Bank are encouraging, and show federal government reforms are working”, he said in a press release.
These results will encourage the government to continue their socio-economic reforms “at full speed”, as “the best way to increase your purchase power and get better social protection is to find a job”.
The BNB’s annual report says 59,000 Belgian jobs were created in 2016, compared to 42,000 in 2015 and 19,000 in 2014. 15,000 jobs were lost in 2013.
The Prime Minister attributed this to a “salary handicap our country has accumulated since 1999, which is at present incredibly efficient”.
Mr Michel said the main reason for this increase in employment was a reduction in employer charges via the “tax shift”, which was adopted through a majority vote. “It makes our businesses more competitive, which is good for export. The trade balance looks good for the first time since 2007”, he said.
(Source: Belga)
