Over half of Flemish job seekers face long-term barriers to employment

At the end of September, 213,847 job seekers were registered with the Flemish employment agency VDAB. This is a 2 per cent increase from the previous year and the highest number since January 2021, when there were 214,069 unemployed. This rise brings the job seeker rate—the ratio of unemployed people to the total Flemish workforce—to 6.7 per cent.

More than half (51 per cent) of the job seekers in September had previously worked and are now receiving or applying for unemployment benefits. Around 40 per cent are people who were not employed before, such as those on social assistance or sickness benefits, and therefore do not qualify for unemployment benefits but are still registered with VDAB. Additionally, 7 per cent of job seekers are young people in a vocational integration period.

A key finding from VDAB's data is that 55 per cent of job seekers face significant challenges in finding work, described as having a "long distance" to the labour market. The agency estimates it will take this group more than six months to secure a job, with 72 per cent of them previously relying on social assistance or sickness benefits.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO BELGIAN FREELANCE}

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