Brussels job vacancies down 39 per cent 

The number of job vacancies received by Actiris has fallen by 39 per cent over the past year, Bruzz reports. Almost all sectors are affected. 

After a surge in job openings following the COVID-19 pandemic, Brussels is now seeing a sharp decline. Between October 2024 and September 2025, the number of vacancies listed on Actiris (including those shared by partners like VDAB, Forem, and Jobat) was 39 per cent lower than in the same period a year earlier.

Despite the fall, Brussels still records more openings than before the pandemic, unlike Flanders, where new job postings have dropped to their lowest level since 2018.

The decline hit nearly all sectors: construction (-56%), administration (-46%), IT (-52%), and finance and law (-44%). Only education (+2.4%) and garage and bicycle repair (+32%) saw growth.

Peter Vanden Houte, chief economist at ING, told Bruzz the economy is “not bad, but not good either”, with firms adopting a “no hiring, no firing” approach amid uncertainty. Trade tensions with the US, Belgium’s budget constraints and possible subsidy cuts are weighing on confidence.

Actiris also cites slower GDP growth and political uncertainty in Brussels as factors. High energy prices, a public sector hiring freeze, and the end of renovation subsidies have further hurt employment, especially in construction and non-profit sectors.

^{The construction sector has seen a strong decline in job openings © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}