The salaries of more than half a million employees in Belgium will increase by 3.56% from January 2025

The salaries of employees in the private sector covered by the Joint Commission 200 (CP 200), which concerns more than 500,000 workers in Belgium, should be indexed by 3.56% on January 1, 2025.

This forecast, communicated by the HR service provider Acerta, is based on data from the smoothed health index published by the Planning Bureau.

A more marked increase than in 2024

After moderate indexing of 1.48% in January 2024the adjustment planned for 2025 reflects a more significant increase. However, it remains below the record indexation of 2023, which had made its mark due to exceptionally high inflation.

Laura Couchard, legal expert at Acerta Consult, underlines the impact of this development: “Workers do not perceive automatic indexation as a salary increase, but rather as an adaptation to the cost of living. On the other hand, for employers, this increase in salary costs represents an additional burden over which they have no control. Fortunately, they can compensate for this by investing in measures such as well-being at work or sustainable career paths. »

The CP 200: a national barometer of salary costs

As one of the largest joint committees in Belgium, CP 200 serves as reference for the evolution of salary costs. This indexation mechanism, based on inflation, also applies to other sectors:

• Workers in the food industry, freight transport and catering will benefit from similar indexation, up to 3,57 %.
• Employees in international trade, property management and insurance will also see their salaries adjusted at rates close to 3,56 %.

Only one excess of the pivot index expected in 2025

The Planning Office predicts a single exceedance of the pivot index in January 2025. This mechanism will trigger an adaptation of salaries of civil servantsof the wages in the non-market sectoras well as social benefits.

While wage indexation remains a valuable guarantee for preserving the purchasing power of workers in the face of inflation, it also represents a challenge for employers, forced to manage an increase in wage costs. In this context, companies are invited to strengthen their attractiveness by investing in the well-being and development of their employees.