Unemployment in Brussels at highest level since 2017

The percentage of unemployed people in Brussels has risen to 14.2%, its highest level since 2017, according to the latest statistics from the Brussels employment service Actiris.

There were 93,416 non-working jobseekers recorded at the end of July, representing an increase of 4,185 people in just one year.

The increase applies to almost all categories and is greatest among young people (a rise of 10.8% year on year) and the highly skilled (up 10.1%). Conversely, the unemployment rate for low-skilled workers saw a small decline of 1.2%.

Unemployment has been rising in Brussels for more than a year, accelerating in July. Actiris said the increase was the result of the category of jobseekers receiving a living wage or the equivalent while unemployed.

“Jobseekers registered in this category no longer have to re-register every three months, but remain automatically registered until the end of their entitlement to a living wage, which means that the total number of jobseekers automatically rises along with it,” Actiris added.

Discounting the nearly 18,000 jobseekers receiving a living wage, the increase in July would have been limited to 2.1% instead of 4.5%, Actiris explained.