People aged 15 to 34 land jobs mainly by spontaneously applying (26%) or through family, friends and acquaintances (24%), according to figures published on Tuesday by the Belgian statistical office, Statbel. Another 17% of young people find jobs through adverts and 10% through temporary or recruitment agencies, while 8% were selected by the employers themselves, and 7% were employed through the intermediary of their educational institutions.
Six percent (6%) found work through public employment services, such as the VDAB, Actiris, Forem and ADG, or through a local employment mission.
"How to find jobs also depends on the profiles of the young people themselves and the sectors in which they are employed,” Statbel explained. “Based on qualifications, age, sex and the sector in which the person involved seeks work, certain channels are more or less utilized.”
Young people with low or medium levels of education, for example, most often resort to family, friends and acquaintances when seeking employment. They are also more likely to use a placement service than young people with a higher level of education, who find work mainly by applying spontaneously.
Compared to less educated youths, highly qualified young people are also more likely to find work through offers of employment or their schools, or to be contacted by the employer itself.
The Statbel survey also shows that the younger the jobseeker, the higher the chance that he or she will find work through family, friends or acquaintances.
There are also gender-related differences. Women most often find work by applying spontaneously, while men land jobs a bit more often through family, friends or acquaintances.
Temp, recruitment and selection agencies are also important channels for men. “However, there is an evident link with the sectors in which women and men are most often employed (teaching and industry respectively),” the survey found.
In the case of the industrial sector, young people are mainly employed through personal contacts with family or friends, or by being contacted directly by the employer. The non-commercial sector recruits its young employees primarily through spontaneous applications, job offers or schools.
Job advertisements by temp, recruitment or selection agencies lead more often to work in the secondary (industry) and tertiary (trade and commerce) sectors.
Among other findings, the survey shows that 69% of young people have not changed jobs or have no desire to do so.
The Brussels Times
