Unemployment benefit reform: 6 in 10 job seekers have migrant background
Six out of 10 people who received unemployment benefits in 2023 have a migrant background, Het Laatste Nieuws reports. Under new rules, people who have been out of work for two years or more will soon lose their entitlement to unemployment benefits.
Almost 60 per cent of those in receipt of benefits in 2023 have a parent with a different nationality, or were born with a different nationality themselves. They may still have that nationality or they may have since become Belgian citizens.
The figures, requested by PS MP Sophie Thémont from Employment minister David Clarinval of MR, show that 41.5 per cent of job seekers in 2023 had Belgian parents.
25 per cent of those with foreign roots are European and 30 per cent non-European. Previous research has shown that unemployment is highest among migrants from outside the EU, and in particular among those with roots in North Africa.
"We must ensure that the integration process is better implemented. We must also ensure that training is available"
Speaking to radio station Bel RTL, Clarinval described the figures as “surprising” and called for tighter controls and better integration. “Do all these people actually reside on national territory?” he asked.
“We know, for example, that last year, 5,800 cases of fraud were detected by the inspection services. This applies to everyone, but it means that more checks are probably needed.”
'Everyone must work'
He also spoke of the need to support more vulnerable groups, such as those with less knowledge of the local languages and institutions.
“We clearly need to focus on these people and pay particular attention to them,” he said. “We must ensure that the integration process is better implemented. We must also ensure that training is available.
"The main message is that everyone must work, including people of foreign origin. There is no reason why these people should be condemned to unemployment and exclusion.”
Two-year limit
Almost 42,000 job seekers in Brussels are at risk of being affected by the new two-year time limit on unemployment benefits between January 2026 and July 2027. This is according to analysis by employment service Actiris.
In January, approximately 4,000 of the people affected will lose their benefits. These are people who have been unemployed for more than 20 years or have been receiving integration benefits for more than a year.
People who have been unemployed for more than eight years will lose their entitlement in March, affecting 11,900 people, followed by 13,300 people in April who have been out of work for less than eight years. The remaining 13,000 people affected will fall into the last three waves between July 2026 and July 2027.
Last week, Brussels Employment minister Bernard Clerfayt warned that Actiris would be unable to match excluded jobseekers in the capital with positions for which they are qualified.
He said many would end up seeking support from social welfare services, where assistance depends on household income. This, he said, would reduce household earnings, weaken the economy and worsen hardship in areas already hit by high unemployment.
Illustration © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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