Brussels residents aged between 20-64 job rate rose to record high as 62.2%: Reports

The number of Brussels residents aged between 20 and 64 who have a job rose to a record high, as 62.2% of the population was employed in 2021, according to the annual balance of the labour market of the Federal Statistical Service Statbel.

The number of Brussels residents with a job increased by 8,700 to a total of roughly 479,000 last year, a growth of 1.9%. The employment rate rose by 0.9 percentage points to 62.2%.

โ€œThis is a record: never before have so many Brussels residents had a job. The employment rate rises again after levelling off between 2019 and 2020. The number reaches its highest level ever,โ€ says Actiris.

Moreover, in Wallonia, 65.2% of people are employed, compared to 75.3% in Flanders, according to sources. For Belgium as a whole, the employment rate stands at 70.6%.

The unemployment rate for those aged between 15 and 64 in Brussels remained stable at 12.5%. In 2016, it was still 16.9%.
โ€œAlmost 500,000 Brussels citizens have a job today,โ€ said Brussels Employment Minister Bernard Clerfayt. โ€œI am pleased about that. But it should not be a reason to forget the โ€˜war for talentโ€™ that is raging on our labour market.โ€

Along with this, employers are looking for educated people, often highly skilled profiles, according to Clerfayt. โ€œThe solution lies in training. We need to raise the skills of Brussels job seekers to a higher level to continue this rise in employment.โ€

Additionally, the number of commuters in Brussels is also on the rise again, according to Statbelโ€™s analysis: a total of 259,000 Flemish people (+10.9%) and 144,000 Walloons (+6.6%) work in Brussels. Commuters again account for just over half of the jobs in the Capital Region.

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