Belgian unemployment and long-term sickness figures remain high despite reforms

The number of unemployed people receiving benefits in Flanders has remained stable despite new rules limiting unemployment payments to two years.

Figures from the Flemish employment agency VDAB show that 110,530 people were receiving unemployment benefits at the end of April, almost unchanged from a year earlier. The unemployment rate also stayed stable at 6.6%.

VDAB said the figures were affected by the weak economy, with more people losing their jobs and entering unemployment. The impact of the benefit reforms is also happening gradually: larger groups are expected to lose payments later this year.

At the same time, Belgium recorded a new high in the number of long-term sick people. More than 576,000 people received invalidity benefits in 2025 after being unable to work for more than a year.

The rise was partly linked to the higher retirement age, which increased to 66 at the start of 2025. Excluding people over 65, the number of long-term sick rose by 1.6%, a slower increase than in previous years.

Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke called the slower growth a “positive sign”, suggesting recent federal measures targeting long-term unemployment and sickness may be starting to have an effect, even though the overall figures remain high.

Mental health problems remain the leading cause of long-term absence from work, with younger age groups showing some of the fastest increases.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}