4,377 companies use tailored employment support scheme

The number of companies using the Flemish individual tailored employment support scheme has risen sharply, from 1,308 in 2023 to 4,377 in 2025. The figures were requested by Flemish MP Ine Tombeur (N-VA), who says the system should become better known.

The scheme was introduced in 2023 as an addition to collective tailored employment, the system that replaced the former sheltered workshops. It offers companies a financial incentive when they hire someone with a temporary or permanent work disability or someone who is far from the labour market.

Since the launch of the programme, 9,461 applications have been approved. However, Tombeur believes the number could be higher.

“Employers want to take their social responsibility, but they face administrative barriers,” she said. “If we make the procedures simpler and faster, more companies will join and more people will find work. We should also highlight good practices and inspiring examples.”

In Flanders, the overall employment rate is about 77%. Among people with a work disability, however, it is only around 46.5%. According to Tombeur, this shows that a large amount of talent is still being left unused.

The issue is also important for the broader social economy sector. More than 25,000 people work in 118 collective tailored employment companies across Flanders, in areas such as packaging, recycling, green maintenance and food production. These organisations often depend on orders from regular businesses and can be vulnerable during economic downturns.

Flemish minister for Social Economy Hilde Crevits (CD&V) has previously urged companies and local authorities to outsource more work to these organisations to help create stable jobs for people who face barriers to employment.

^{© BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE}