Nearly a quarter of fixed-term contracts (CDD) concluded in Belgium are for a period of fewer than four weeks.
This percentage is five times higher than the European average, Het Nieuwsblad wrote on Friday, basing its story on a study made by the Banque Nationale.
The number of such contracts has grown from 8% to 10% of paid work between 2014 and 2017, whereas the ultra-short contracts have proved to be uniquely Belgian. The increase can be explained by the discontinuation of the trial period, a consequence of the standardisation of worker and employee status. Employers effectively favour a temporary collaboration to be able to determine whether a worker has the right profile.
The risk of worker impoverishment on fixed-term contracts goes hand in hand with job insecurity, the bank also pointed out in its study. Permanent contracts are in any case, still the norm in Belgium: nine out of ten employees have this kind of contract.
The Brussels Times
