Sharp fall in the number of job vacancies in Flanders

The Flemish Employment Minister Hilde Crevits (Christian democrat) has told journalists that last month there was sharp fall in the number of job vacancies in our region. Last month the number of job vacancies on the books at the Flemish Employment and Vocational Service VDAB was well down on the number of vacancies in July 2019. The news of the sharp year-on-year decrease in July comes after the hopeful figures released for the month of June.

In June VDAB had received as many new vacancies as had been the case in June 2019. However, it was a very different picture in July with vacancies down 30% compared with July last year.

However, “July was an exceptional month. If we compare the figure for July 2020 with those from July 2018 there is a fall of around 15%”, the Employment Minister explained.

“There is always a fall in the number of vacancies at the start of the holiday period. This year the fall has been sharper due to corona. During the past 12 months VDAB received a total of 256,000 vacancies”.

Despite the general fall in the number of agencies there are a number of sectors of the economy that are looking to recruit more staff that would otherwise be the case, for example agriculture and market gardening. The impending harvest provides employment opportunities for students looking for summer jobs. There is also more demand for staff in health care.

The sharpest fall in the number of vacancies is in the financial and business services industries. There is also a large all-in the number of vacancies in the IT, hospitality and tourism industries.


The author: Clémentine FORISSIER

Clémentine Forissier, a youthful journalist hailing from Brussels, has been making waves in the field of media. Despite her relatively young age, she has quickly risen to prominence as a prominent voice in Belgian journalism. Known for her fresh perspective and dynamic reporting, Clémentine has become a recognized figure in the Brussels media scene, offering insightful coverage of various topics.

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