Barely 0.39 percent of Belgian employees have already received purchasing power premiums: employers are given an extra three months to grant them

The extension comes at the proposal of Minister of Labor Pierre-Yves Dermagne (PS) and Minister of Social Affairs Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) and was given the green light by the federal council of ministers on Friday. The purchasing power premium can amount to a maximum of 750 euros and is paid out in the form of consumption vouchers. The federal government introduced the one-off measure to compensate for the fact that the wage standard in 2023 and 2024 did not leave room for additional wages on top of the index.

The purchasing power premium has been payable since June 1, but according to data from 510,000 employees of 32,000 companies, only 0.39 percent of Belgian employers had confirmed in October that they would grant a purchasing power premium. The companies now have an extra three months to do this.

According to figures from CD&V MP Nahima Lanjri, at the end of October the counter stood at 38 million euros in purchasing power premiums for 85,925 employees from 3,625 companies. Low figures compared to the 1.4 million employees who received a corona premium worth a total of 400 million euros in 2022, she says. Lanjri hopes that the extension of the deadline will lead to more premiums awarded. The Christian Democrats have also advocated this in parliament, it is said.