SNCB looks to hire 1,300 extra staff

Belgian railway operator SNCB is launching a major recruitment campaign to fill 1,300 positions.

The vacancies are mainly for operational roles, such as train drivers, attendants or technicians.

“It's not just a question of replacements: for the second year running, SNCB wants to significantly increase the number of staff on the ground,” the railway company said, adding that 2023 saw the addition of 1,600 employees.

Of the 1,300 vacancies in 2024, more than 400 are for train drivers, 300 are for train attendants and 300 are for technicians responsible for train maintenance and renewal.

“SNCB is also looking for about 100 staff to ensure safety in stations and onboard trains – these are both security agents for Securail and operators for the alarm centres,” the company said.

SNCB is also looking for project managers and engineers for its workshops, architects for its stations, data analysts and a number of other specialised candidates.

“It's not easy to fill all the vacancies, given the particularly tight job market,” SNCB said. “This is why we are constantly working hard, with numerous recruitment campaigns, job days, a presence at job fairs and collaboration with Forem, Actiris, Bruxelles-Formation and the VDAB.”

In 2023, for the first time in 10 years, the number of recruitments at SNCB exceeded the number of departures.

The 1,600 positions filled that year included 450 train attendants, 270 train drivers, 300 technicians and 160 security staff. More than a fifth of the new employees hired were women, and almost a third were under the age of 26.

In 2024, the number of recruitments is also expected to exceed departures.

Photo: Nicolas Materlinck/Belga