The decrease is the result of a stronger focus on activation and willingness to work. Through a collaboration between the OCMW, VDAB, the Economic House, local employers and social organizations, living wage recipients are intensively guided towards the labor market. From April 2024 to November 2025, 559 living wage recipients were able to move on to work. This led to a decrease of 10% or 200 fewer living wage recipients in Ostend until June 2025.
At the end of 2024, Ostend still had 1,996 people with a living wage. The city takes into account that new files may be added in the coming years due to changes in unemployment regulations. Nevertheless, if policy remains unchanged, the city council expects another decline of 10 percent by the end of this year. This is due to the continued activations. In addition, an adjusted calculation of the living wage, which also takes into account family income, mainly led to a decrease among 18-year-olds. Students in higher education retain their living wage, because according to the city a diploma remains the best guarantee of work.