Some 499,813 workers were collecting temporary unemployment in Belgium in January 2021, according to figures published on Monday by the National Employment Office (Onem).
That corresponds to a 330.4% jump compared to January 2020 and is explained by the measures against the coronavirus that still keep some sectors slow or even stopped.
Compensated unemployment increased by 10.8% on an annual basis. Last January, 366,205 fully compensated unemployed job seekers received an allowance in Belgium, which is 35,650 more than in January 2020.
