Ukrainians have found it relatively easier to land jobs in Flanders since the start of the war than in Brussels, judging from regional employment figures.
Some 5,698 Ukrainians have registered with the Brussels employment office Actiris since February 2022, and 1,755 (30.8%) of them have found jobs, the agency told Belga News Agency on Friday.
According to statistics compiled by Actiris, 74% of the Ukrainian job seekers were women, and 97% held foreign diplomas without equivalence.
About 52% had bachelor's or master's degrees, 32% had secondary education and 13% had completed primary education.
"Given the problem of diploma equivalence, it is complicated for them to go straight into employment," Actiris said.
The employment office added that 20.1% of the Ukrainians had undergone training, mainly in French.
In Flanders, some 20,000 Ukrainians have registered with the VDAB employment service since the start of the war.
Just over half (53%) have found work in the north of the country, and 35% are still working there.
Unlike Brussels, which has a service economy with profiles that generally require high qualifications, Flanders offers more jobs in industry, even if these do not directly correspond to the skills of Ukrainian job seekers, Actiris explained.
