A document set the objectives that each member state of the European Union had to reach in a decade, that is to say between 2010 and 2020. In terms of employment, the mission of Belgium was to provide work for 73% of 20- 64 years old. We are 71%. It is therefore a little less but it is still the highest employment rate ever reached.
This mixed record is conducive to a passing of arms between bosses and unions, interviewed by Vincent Chevalier. “In 10 years, there is not one who has said in this country, perhaps we should change the recipes we apply, we may change policy”, says Nicolas Deprets, spokesperson for the FGTB. “And also, it must be said, we, the social partners, we were not necessarily in the right direction, we did not reach sufficient growth rates to ensure the creation and redistribution of fair jobs”, he adds. For the union, the 70% employment rate is illusory. “In full-time equivalent, here we are only at rates of 60%”.
What the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (FEB) especially sees is the annual creation of more than 50,000 jobs. For Alice Defauw, FEB advisor, the reforms paid off, like those relating to the end of career. “On the other hand, there are reforms that have helped businesses in terms of competitiveness. The Tax Shift in particular, contribution reductions …”
But behind the numbers, are these jobs of good quality? “Overall, in the general employment situation, we see that 90% of salaried employment relates to open-ended contracts”, estimates the FEB. “The number of daily jobs, that is to say people who have contracts day after day, who have no security has exploded, we are more than 15,000. The number of burnouts? 40,000”, tempers the FGTB.
Last year, in terms of employment rate, Belgium was among the last 5 in the European ranking.
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