One in three large Belgian companies expects to cut jobs in the next six months, according to a survey by HR services provider SD Worx, which included responses from 250 firms employing at least 250 people.
The median number of redundancies among permanent staff is 15. The sectors most likely to be affected are logistics, supply chain and warehousing, where 30% of employers expect cuts.
They are followed by operations, manufacturing and construction at 25%, and purchasing and sourcing at 21%.
Employers cited cost-cutting as the main reason for layoffs, mentioned by 31% of respondents. Restructuring was named by 28%, while 27% pointed to a poor match between employees and job requirements and the end of a temporary assignment.
At the same time, hiring plans remain strong. More than eight in ten large companies said they intend to recruit staff over the next six months.
For 51% of employers, this will involve 25 or more permanent hires. Companies expect to recruit twice as many permanent as temporary workers, with a median of 25 compared with 12.
The most sought-after profiles are in IT, digital and data, cited by 32% of employers. Operations, manufacturing and construction follow at 31%, ahead of logistics, supply chain and warehousing at 29%.
Most hiring is aimed at replacing normal staff turnover, explained 54% of employers. Another 43% said recruitment is intended to cover retirements and employee absences.
For 38% of companies, recruitment reflects structural growth driven by higher workloads. A further 30% said they are seeking new digital skills.
“These figures show how contradictory the labour market currently feels for large employers,” said Katleen Jacobs, business manager advisory at SD Worx. “For employers, this means strategic workforce planning is more important than ever.”
The survey was conducted by research agency DataD.be between 3 and 15 June among HR managers at 250 companies in Belgium with at least 250 employees.
