The number of unemployment benefit claimants in Brussels fell 50.5% in September from the same period in 2025, the sharpest decline in Belgium, according to the National Employment Office (ONEM-RVA).
Belgium as a whole saw a 38% drop in unemployment claimants compared with September last year, after the federal government set a new limit on unemployment benefits, capping them at two years for the first time.
Across Belgium, 180,000 jobseekers received unemployment benefits in September, down 110,000 compared to a year earlier. The number of unemployed people receiving benefits fell across all regions and age groups, with a 45% decline in Wallonia and a 22.8% decline in Flanders.
However, those receiving short-term full unemployment benefits, benefits lasting less than one year, rose by 0.3%.
While the decline in claimants has reduced federal spending on unemployment as expected, the number of Belgians receiving social assistance through public social welfare centres (CPAS) has increased.
In October, CPAS recipients overtook unemployment claimants for the first time in Belgium. Roughly 43% of people who lost unemployment benefits have turned to CPAS social assistance, exceeding Employment Minister David Clarinval’s (MR) prediction of one-third.
The increased demand for CPAS support is adding to a wider strain on municipal finances, forcing many to raise taxes to cover the shortfall.
A recent ruling by the Constitutional Court has also found that the Federal government's benefits cap was discriminatory for giving those who have claimed unemployment benefits the longest a shorter window to transition off benefits than those who have been unemployed for a shorter period.
The ruling effectively cancelled the existing transitional arrangements for those who have received unemployment benefits the longest until the Federal government puts a new policy in place.
