The proportion of young people in Flanders who are not active in the labour market – meaning that they are neither employed nor in education or in training – continues to decline in Flanders, with the number in the latter group reaching the lowest point since data collection began 14 years ago.
A higher proportion of young people have thus found their place in the labour market, Flemish Minister of Work Jo Brouns noted following the publication of the Trend Report 2022, published by the Department of Work & Social Economy on Thursday, which focused on the position of vulnerable groups in the Flemish labour market in 2021.
This includes "NEET youth" (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), of which the proportion has never been so low since measurements started 14 years ago. The group now represents 6% of 15- to 24-year-olds, around 43,000 young people in this age bracket.
"This is remarkable considering the Covid-19 crisis had a negative impact on this group. I am satisfied that young people are seizing their opportunities in a tight labour market today," Brouns noted.
The decline in this number goes hand in hand with the increase in the proportion of young people in education or participating in training (from 66.1% in 2013 to 76.3% in 2021).
The Flemish Government recently gave employment services VDAB more power to detect, reach and provide appropriate guidance to young people in the NEET category, Brouns explained.
Helping tight labour market
Overall, the number of young people (15- to 24-year-olds) living in the region rose by over 5,000 to 724,000.
"This means Flanders is experiencing another increase in the number of young people for the second year in a row, which is good news in light of the tightening labour market," Brouns stated in a press release.
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In the third quarter of this year, 76.8% of Flemish people aged between 20 and 64 were working, a record. The report also revealed, among other things, that more than half of people with a work-limiting disability are active in the labour market for the first time.
