VOKA: “70,000 extra workers needed for West Flemish companies”

According to VOKA, 6 out of 10 companies have too few candidates for vacancies. This situation will only get worse in the long run. To achieve an employment rate of 80%, companies must recruit at least 70,000 additional workers by 2030. “A difficult task in an increasingly aging society,” says VOKA.

The high wage costs and indexation also make the search for employees difficult, and candidates often do not have the right characteristics or knowledge.

Reforms

Managing director of Voka Bert Mons advocates urgent reforms of our labor market. “A new federal labor deal is necessary, but that is now being shelved. We must work on rising unemployment by getting the unemployed back to work,” said Mons.

Another solution is to fill the labor reserves through internships, training and active matching to help people find work faster. Labor migration, in which companies attract foreign talent, is also an option, VOKA believes: “administrations must react more quickly and issue residence and work permits more quickly.”