At the end of 2021, 56,067 people from Brussels were working in Flanders, according to an official count carried out by the Brussels and Flemish employment administrations consulted by L'Écho.
This number confirms an upward trend that has been observed for several years, with the figure increasing by 32% compared to 2015.
The outskirts of Brussels and nearby Flemish cities are the main places of work for Brussels residents who commute from the capital to Flanders. In the Halle and Vilvoorde municipalities which surround the capital, Brussels residents account for 15% of job positions. At Brussels Airport in Zaventem, they occupy one in five jobs.
This is a positive development both for Flanders, which has a strong need for labour, and for Brussels, which has 90,000 jobseekers. However, the study conducted by Actiris and the VDAB also highlights the impact of the lack of efficient public transport connections between Brussels municipalities and Flemish employment centres.
According to statistics published by the Federal Government in April, approximately 100,000 Brussels residents and Walloons commute to Flanders each day. The Government is eager to promote greater work mobility between the regions. This is often held back by French-speaking regions' generally poor levels of Dutch.
