‘Go back to work,’ Belgium tells its sick and unemployed

The Belgian labour force could well grow by tens of thousands of people in the coming months. At least, that’s what the federal government is hoping for. As of next year, it will no longer be possible to be eternally unemployed. And people who are ill for more than a year will have to prove they are really incapable of working.

Compared to other countries, Belgium has two specificities here. One, uptill now, unemployed workers can keep their allowance forever. There’s no limitation on the duration of the social benefit. Two, Belgium has more workers who are long-term ill than any other European country. ​ ​ Workers with a medical condition get a disability benefit, to cover the cost of living, paid for by social security.

The government of PM Bart De Wever has decided to change both, and the implementation has started. At the beginning of next year, people who have been unemployed for more than 20 years will lose their allowance. In a couple of stages, all people who have been unemployed for more than two years will follow (with only a couple of exceptions).

The goal is to get as many of those people back to work. If people are not able to find a job and are in financial need, they can still get an allowance, from their municipality. A third group will neither have a job nor an allowance.

From unemployed to sick

In recent years, the conditions for receiving an unemployment allowance have become much stricter to limit the abuse of social security. This is very likely one of the reasons why so many Belgians get an allowance from the official health insurer. People without work moved from unemployment to sickness to keep an allowance.

Therefore, also on health insurance, action is being taken. All actors have to take up their responsibility, the government says. Doctors have to verify if people are really ill or incapable of working. Employers have to look for ways to prevent people from getting sick or to accommodate their return. Health insurers have to improve controls. People who want to work will get better guidance.

The number of people concerned is huge. In Belgium, some five million people work (employees, self-employed, civil servants). The number of long-term ill is well above half a million, and the number of long-term unemployed is far in excess of a hundred thousand. In 2023, the official health insurance paid more than nine billion euros in allowances.

Optimistic

The government hopes many of the unemployed and sick will start to work and pay taxes soon. Experts warn not to be overly optimistic. The groups concerned are very often not the most productive people. Many people on health insurance are really ill and not able to work. Many of the long-term unemployed face a wide range of problems, making them less well-suited for a competitive labour market. It will cost effort to get those people a job, and it’s unlikely the job will be well paid, so the taxes they will pay will also be limited.

The government, however, sees advantages for everyone. The move will be beneficial for the state budget (fewer allowances, more taxes). The labour market shortages will be reduced with the influx of new workers. For the people involved, opportunities will arise to improve their lives and increase their income. The (left-wing) opposition says a social bloodbath is underway: people who are unable to work will no longer have an allowance.

In reality, nobody knows to what extent the high numbers of unemployed and sick people are the result of abuse and of a malfunctioning of the labour market.

_{© BELGA PHOTO LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ}