Many working Brussels residents still trapped in poverty, report warns

A large number of people in work in Brussels are still living in poverty and facing deep uncertainty, according to a new report published on Tuesday by the Brussels care agency Vivalis. The findings challenge the common belief that having a job automatically protects people from financial hardship.

Nearly one in ten employed Brussels residents lives below the poverty line, almost double the national average. With 9.6% of workers counted as “working poor”, Brussels tops the Belgian rankings, compared with 4.7% for the country as a whole, 5% in Wallonia and 3.7% in Flanders.

Vivalis stresses that even these figures underestimate the problem. National indicators, it says, fail to capture the complex mix of job types and employment statuses that characterise the capital’s labour market.

The agency identifies three groups of working poor: those with short, back-to-back contracts; “hybrid” workers juggling several insecure jobs; and “invisible” full-time undeclared workers. All three groups struggle to navigate Brussels’ complicated rules and administrative systems.

High rents, unstable work situations, poor-quality housing and debt make it even harder for these workers to escape poverty.

Vivalis is calling for better data on the “invisible” working poor and simpler labour-market rules, including clearer definitions of employment statuses. The report argues it is counterproductive to set work and social protection against each other, noting that many benefit recipients are employed yet still rely on state support.

The Brussels Parliament is holding a roundtable on the issue on Tuesday.

^{A worker at the 'Mabru' Brussels' early morning market © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}