In February, the VDAB was notified of 36,179 vacancies, almost 60 percent more than in February last year. The Flemish employment service is already registering historically high vacancy figures for the eighth month in a row, reports Minister of Work Hilde Crevits (CD&V).
In the past twelve months, the VDAB received just under 387,000 vacancies, an increase of 64 percent compared to the previous twelve months. “Unseen,” says Crevits. Last week, the minister said that there were 15 percent fewer job seekers without work in Flanders compared to last year.
Much is related to the reopening of a number of sectors after the corona pandemic† They are given breathing room again and are looking for staff. It is therefore no coincidence that the hospitality, tourism, culture, sports and leisure sectors are among the sectors where the number of open jobs is growing the fastest.
For example, the number of vacancies for catering and tourism increased by . in February 175 percent year on yearin culture and sports that was just under 132 percent† The metals sector also clocked in on an increase of 118 percent†
Only two sectors recorded a decrease in the number of vacancies in the past twelve months: other industry (-1.5 percent) and personal services (-13.4 percent).
For a large part of the open vacancies, no diploma or experience is required, says Crevits. This concerns 160,000 jobs, where “people can get started quickly and at the same time gain a lot of work experience”.
The number of unfilled vacancies is increasing in all provinces, although Antwerp stands head and shoulders above it with an increase of over 74 percent compared to February last year, almost 10 percentage points above the Flemish average. In the region around the provincial capital, the number of vacancies even rose by almost 85 percent, a lot more than in the regions around Turnhout and Mechelen, where there are increases of 73.7 and 52.6 percent respectively.
In Flemish Brabant and East Flanders there is an increase of about 60 percent on an annual basis, in West Flanders and Limburg there were 58 and 52 percent vacancies respectively.
The number of student jobs also continues to rise. In February, 4,439 were registered, 1,185 more than in January. Last year 50,627 student jobs were registered, more than twice as many as in the previous twelve months.
In the temporary agency sector, 116,032 jobs were registered last month, an increase of more than 48 percent on an annual basis. Over the past twelve months, this concerns more than 1.2 million jobs.
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