The unemployment rate in the Brussels Region reached 15.3% at the end of February, a slight increase (+0.69 percentage points) compared to last year, Actiris announced on Thursday.
Unemployment among the working population under 65 years old stood at 15.4% in January and December.
During February, Actiris recorded 8,050 new unemployed individuals and 8,649 who left unemployment. Of the 97,859 job seekers, 48% were women and 52% were men.
Year-on-year, Actiris observed a 2.5% rise in job seekers receiving benefits, totalling 1,252 additional people, as well as a 6.3% increase in young people undertaking professional integration internships. The number of other job seekers grew by 12.4%, an increase of 4,335 individuals.
Among the 97,859 job seekers, 20,792 (21.2%) were registered at the Public Centre for Social Welfare (CPAS), showing a 17.5% annual increase.
The number of individuals seeking employment for less than a year rose by 3.9% (+1,390). Those searching for one to two years increased by 10.2% (+1,502), while long-term unemployment (over two years) grew by 7.5%, representing an additional 3,120 people.
Actiris warns that limiting unemployment benefits over time will result in a major statistical disruption.
Initially, figures from Belgium's national employment office, Onem, will decline due to administrative factors rather than genuine changes in the job market.
The number of inactive job seekers is expected to rise temporarily as individuals reaching the end of their benefits remain registered under alternative statuses to ensure continued support.
In the medium term, some of these individuals are expected not to renew their registrations, likely leading to a structural drop in inactive job seeker numbers, Actiris said.
