There are 9.7% fewer jobseekers receiving employment welfare support in August 2022 compared to 2021, according to a press release by the national employment office ONEM.
According to the employment office, there is a -9.7% decline in unemployed job seekers who received an allowance this month, amounting to a total of 293,567 – which is 31,395 fewer than in August 2021.
The number of beneficiaries to get their welfare support based on full-time work or are accepted based on their studies is a total of 263,219.
There are also 18,802 jobseekers receiving a jobseekers' allowance for voluntary part-time employment, 9,338 unemployed individuals receiving a company supplement, and 2,208 people receiving safeguard allowances.
Regional differences
ONEM also provided further details on the lowering levels of unemployment in the different regions that compose Belgium.
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In August 2022, there were 106,828 fully jobseekers in Flanders, 124,023 in Wallonia and 62,716 in the Brussels-Capital Region.
This means that there were 13.9% fewer jobseekers than in 2021, 6.7% less in Wallonia and 7.8% in Brussels.
Sociological differences
ONEM also pointed out that unemployment decreased less quickly among women (-9.4%) than among men (-9.9%).
Furthermore, unemployment among people under the age of 25 fell by 13.8%, by 8.8% among those between 25 to 49 years old. In the 50 to 59 age bracket, it fell by 10.9% and by -9.4% for those aged 60 and above.