In February, 271,965 unemployed people received an allowance, 15,377 fewer than in February 2025.
The decrease is mainly linked to the unemployment reform, according to monthly figures the National Employment Office (ONEM) released on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the year, 18,036 people have had their benefits revoked: 9,029 who were receiving an integration allowance and 9,007 who were receiving unemployment benefits. Of these 18,306 people, the majority (11,270 or 62.50% of the total) are in Wallonia, and 55.5% are men.
In February, full unemployment decreased more rapidly year-on-year among women (-7,902 or -6.5%) than among men (-7,475 or -4.5%).
Furthermore, full unemployment declined in virtually all age groups, particularly among young people under 25 (-12.9% or -2,825).
In February, the number of fully unemployed people on an annual basis increased by 0.8% in Flanders (+888), but decreased by 9.0% in Wallonia (-10,923) and by 8.8% in the Brussels-Capital Region (-5,342).
There were thus 106,635 fully unemployed people in Flanders, 110,036 in Wallonia, and 55,294 in the Brussels-Capital Region.
