There were almost 10,000 fewer compensated unemployed people in Belgium in January than at the beginning of 2023. But the number of young unemployed people – up to 25 years old – increased to the highest level in almost three years. This was evident from figures from the National Employment Office (RVA) on Wednesday.
In January, 294,003 fully unemployed job seekers entitled to benefits received benefits. That was 9,859 fewer than in January 2023, or a decrease of 3.2 percent.
On an annual basis, full unemployment fell most sharply among those over 60: a decrease of 10.7 percent. But there was also a decrease in the other age categories, except for the youngest group. The number of compensated unemployed people up to the age of 25 increased by 3.1 percent (or 638 units) to 21,475. That is the highest number since May 2021.
In terms of unemployment duration, the decline was among people who have been unemployed for at least two years. Their number was 10 percent lower in January (or more than 15,000 units) than at the beginning of 2023. There was an increase in shorter-term unemployment. Almost half (46.7 percent) of the fully compensated unemployed have been without work for at least two years, more than a third (36.5 percent) for less than a year and 16.8 percent between 1 and 2 years.
There were also 170,339 temporarily unemployed in January, 40 percent more than a year earlier. There were more temporarily unemployed due to bad weather and economic reasons, the RVA said.
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