Education workforce in Flanders grows by nearly 13 per cent over a decade
Between the 2015–2016 and 2024–2025 school years, the number of staff in Flemish education rose by 12.9 per cent, according to figures published on Thursday by Statistics Flanders.
In total, Flemish education provided 179,205 full-time jobs (expressed in full-time equivalents) last school year, an increase of 20,500 compared to 2015–2016. These positions include teachers, principals, student counsellors, CLB (Centre for Educational Guidance) staff and inspectors.
Teacher shortage
This growth appears to contradict the ongoing teacher shortage that many schools are still experiencing. A study commissioned by Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) at the end of August indicated that, compared to neighbouring countries, Flanders has enough teachers overall. However, valuable teaching hours are being lost because teachers are taking on too many other tasks beyond classroom instruction.
In mainstream primary and secondary schools, there is currently a shortage of more than 3,700 teachers (expressed in full-time equivalents). At the same time, over 5,200 full-time equivalents were lost last school year due to non-teaching responsibilities.
Distribution across education levels
Mainstream primary and secondary education together account for 128,436 full-time equivalents. Including the 18,386 staff members in special education, these two groups represent around 82 per cent, or four-fifths of the total education workforce. The remaining 20 per cent is spread across secondary adult education, basic education and part-time arts education. Staff at universities and colleges were not included in the figures.
Three-quarters of education staff remain female, and roughly half of all teaching staff hold permanent contracts. Both proportions have remained relatively stable over the past decade.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO BELPRESS
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