According to the business newspaper, the trend is remarkable, because Flemish companies are struggling to find suitable personnel. Filling the gaps in the Flemish labor market with Walloon workers therefore seems an obvious solution. “Flanders has a labor shortage. Wallonia and Brussels have a surplus: at the end of July there were almost 300,000 job seekers,” says Bothuyne.
–
Labor economist Stijn Baert (UGent) interprets the figures with more caution. “The Walloon labor market now offers more opportunities for those who want a job than in 2011. The statistics show that the unemployment rate decreased and the shortage on the labor market increased,” he says. According to him, it is logical that if more Walloons find work in their own region, they are less likely to move to Flanders.
–
Bothuyne believes that we are missing opportunities to fill Flemish vacancies. He is thinking of, among other things, viewing internships and extra language and other courses.
–
