More than 39,200 full-time jobs were created in the civil service between the end of 2019 and the end of 2024, according to data collected from the National Social Security Office (ONSS) and other organisations.
Belgium now has nearly one million full-time civil servants, Het Laatste Nieuws reports.
In recent years, the government has significantly increased its workforce due to various crises (Covid-19, energy, etc.). Between the end of 2014 and the end of 2019, 25,500 full-time jobs were created in the civil service.
Additionally, employment growth in the public sector has outpaced that of the private sector in recent years. Education plays a crucial role in this growth, being responsible for more than 65% of the increase in the number of civil servants since 2014. This represents more than 42,000 additional jobs in ten years.
However, the socialist trade union CGSP questions these figures. "These are vague and general figures, which do not clearly specify where these increases have occurred," said Chris Reniers, president of the CGSP, in a response sent to Belga News Agency.
"Moreover, based on our own experience, we can see that there is still a shortage of workers in many sectors of the civil service," he said.
"Public sector jobs generally require people to be physically present to provide effective services to citizens. Every member of the public sector workforce is therefore indispensable."
