New agreement to guide more Walloon jobseekers to Flemish jobs

To ensure that more Walloon jobseekers find work in Flanders, where many vacancies remain unfilled, Flemish employment minister Zuhal Demir and her Walloon counterpart Pierre-Yves Jeholet have signed a new cooperation agreement at pasta producer Soubry in Roeselare, West Flanders province. Employment services VDAB and Forem are committed to matching Flemish vacancies and Walloon jobseekers much more quickly.

It was no coincidence that Soubry was the setting for the signing of the new cooperation agreement between Flanders and Wallonia. The Flemish company has 420 employees. While no fewer than 180 of them are French, there are currently only 10 Walloons working at Soubry.

“The situation is urgent. In Flanders, we need workers: when there is a vacancy, only three candidates apply,” stated minister Zuhal Demir. “We will no longer be looking for profiles outside Europe, but here in Belgium: in Flanders, but also in Wallonia.”

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According to her, “this cooperation agreement with agreements between VDAB and Forem should provide a solution”. “In concrete terms, all vacancies will now be exchanged,” she clarified. “If Walloon jobseekers do not respond to several vacancies, it is now also possible to impose a sanction.”

Minister Pierre-Yves Jeholet confirmed that Walloon unemployed people will be made more accountable, but with common sense: "We are not going to ask an employee from Arlon to come and work in Roeselare,” he said. “But crossing the language border to go to work should certainly be possible. Language skills should not be an obstacle. This is demonstrated by the high number of French people already working at Soubry today."

The Flemish employers' organisation Voka welcomes the agreement. “Our governments have been too lax for far too long,” declared Voka. “Companies in Flanders are ready to give motivated Walloons work. Let them come.”

^{#FlandersNewsService | Flemish minister Zuhal Demir and Walloon minister Pierre-Yves Jeholet sign a cooperation agreement © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}

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