Flemish companies say they’d like to hire as economic activity begins to pick up in Belgium now that the coronavirus vaccination campaign is well underway, but they’re struggling to find suitable staff, according to a survey by the employers' federation Voka.
Voka reached out to around 600 companies in Flanders, and is calling on governments to reform the labour market in light of the results.
For more than half of the companies surveyed, the impact of the health crisis is expected to be behind them by the end of the year.
However, two thirds of the employers who wish to recruit staff are finding it even more difficult than usual to find candidates for positions.
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The issue is exacerbated for large companies (those with more than 250 employees), who fear that a lack of personnel could have an impact on turnover and slow down their growth.
Voka called on Flanders to continue to invest in training and incentivising bonuses.
At the federal level, the organisation advocated more flexibility in employee status, working hours and holidays, and called for efforts to reintegrate people with long-term illnesses into the labour market.
The Brussels Times
