The number of unemployed people in Flanders rose by 6% last month, compared to March 2022, the Flemish employment office (VDAB) announced on Tuesday.
The figures represent the fifth month of increased unemployment in a row.
The employment service credits half of the increase as a result of the registration of people from outside the European Union (+49%), mostly led by Ukrainians (+53,984), Moroccans (+1,448), and Afghans (+1,185).
As of 31 March, the VDAB had 193,886 registered unemployed people on their books.
Compared to last month, the number of job seekers increased by about 3,900 people. In March 2023, 25,555 citizens joined as job seekers.
The Flemish region had 191,647 job seekers without work at the end of January, a 3.2% increase compared to January 2022.
