Brussels Employment Minister Bernard Clerfayt has warned that Actiris will be unable to match excluded jobseekers with suitable positions as thousands stand to lose unemployment benefits under upcoming federal reforms.
From January, a new federal measure will see thousands in Brussels cut off from unemployment payments.
Clerfayt said there was a clear mismatch between available job vacancies and the skills of those affected. Nearly 42,000 people are expected to lose benefits in January.
According to Actiris data, while 42,000 individuals will be excluded, there are only 24,000 job shortages in the Brussels region, mostly in highly qualified sectors such as engineering, medicine, and nursing.
"Many long-term unemployed people don’t have those qualifications," Clerfayt said.
He accused the federal government of restricting access to training programmes that could help people back into work, noting that long-term exemptions are now reserved almost exclusively for healthcare training.
"Teaching, accounting, and engineering didn't cut," he said, adding that measures such as flexi-jobs and expanded student work schemes were intensifying competition for low-skilled positions, particularly in hospitality.
Clerfayt warned that many of those excluded from benefits would end up seeking support from CPAS social welfare services, where assistance depends on household income.
This, he said, would reduce overall household earnings, weaken the economy, and worsen social hardship in areas already hit by high unemployment.
