Job seekers in Flanders who are travelling by train to a job interview can now get free digital tickets to travel there, with the aim of lowering the threshold for applying for a job.
Previously, such tickets for job seekers cost just €1 per one-way journey, but to receive this, people had to physically pick it up at one of the Flemish employment service VDAB offices with proof of a job interview invitation, five days in advance. In 2021, 2,389 cheap application train tickets were requested.
"For many job-seekers, mobility remains an important barrier to applying for a job and going to work. For example, we see that only 60% of job seekers indicate in their profile on VDAB.be that they have a driving licence B or higher," Flemish Minister of Employment Hilde Crevits said.
"In order to tackle the shortage in the labour market, we want to remove as many of these barriers as possible so that people can more easily take the step to work," she added.
Call one hour before interview
Rather than having to go to a VDAB office, where a staff member checks whether the person in question is entitled to the reduction – a process which Crevits said is "much too cumbersome" – job seekers can request a free ticket, valid for job interviews, selection tests or a training application, via the VDAB service line.
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"A request can now even be made up to one hour before the jobseeker has to catch his or her train. In this way, we remove a barrier," Crevits stated. Job seekers will receive the train ticket directly on the e-ID or as a PDF in an e-mail.
"A lot of job seekers do not have a car to go and apply for jobs or take job interview tests. That is why it is important that we make the alternatives as accessible as possible. By offering train tickets digitally and completely free of charge, we hope to do just that," Wim Adriaens, delegated manager at VDAB, said.
