Brussels-Capital Region has experienced a continuous decline in its employment rate since the third quarter of 2024, according to the latest Labour Force Survey released by Statbel, the Belgian statistics office.
The employment rate for people aged 20-64 in Brussels was 61.9% in the first quarter of 2025, down from 63.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 65.4% in the third quarter. In the first quarter of 2024, it stood at 63.3%.
Employment rates in other regions have remained more stable, with Wallonia recording 66.8% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 66.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 66.2% in the first quarter of 2024.
In Flanders, the rate was 77.9% in the first quarter of 2025, down from 78.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024 but up from 76.7% in the first quarter of 2024.
Across Belgium, the employment rate for people aged 20-64 was 72.6% in the first quarter of 2025.
The country is aiming for an 80% employment rate by 2029.
According to Eurostat, 60.4% of people aged 55-64 are employed, but that is way below the employment rate of persons aged 20-54, which is 76.2%.
