Equal opportunities body calls for protection against discrimination in benefit reform
Equal opportunities centre Unia is calling for anti-discrimination measures to protect vulnerable groups who will be disproportionately affected by changes to Belgium's unemployment benefits system.
The planned reforms will limit how long people can receive unemployment benefit, up to a maximum or two years. The measure is due to come into force at the beginning of 2026 and will affect an estimated 113,000 people.
“Without strong policies against discrimination, the reform will mean a double punishment: exclusion from unemployment benefits for people who are already struggling to find work because of persistent discrimination,” Unia says.
Research shows that vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, older people and people of foreign origin experience discrimination when applying for jobs.
Unia wants to see the introduction of inspectorates that carry out large-scale discrimination checks, the obligation for employers to implement a prevention policy on discrimination in the workplace, positive actions in the private and public sectors and the adoption of an action plan for people with disabilities.
“You cannot want to activate jobseekers and at the same time turn a blind eye to the structural discrimination that prevents them from finding a job,” says Unia director Els Keytsman De Ronne.
© PHOTO BELGIAN FREELANCE
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