Key information
- 72 percent of Belgian employers experience difficulty filling open positions, with 17 percent of them facing significant struggles.
- The skills shortage remains a widespread problem across all three Belgian regions, with Brussels experiencing the most pronounced impact (76 percent), followed by Flanders (72 percent) and Wallonia (70 percent).
- Upskilling and reskilling initiatives are the top priority for Belgian employers (29 percent), while flexible working conditions are also integrated into employers’ strategies to combat the talent shortage.
The Belgian labor market continues to face persistent recruitment challenges, despite economic uncertainty, the influx of candidates due to company bankruptcies and restructuring, and advances in artificial intelligence. 72 percent of 525 employers surveyed by ManpowerGroup reported difficulty filling open positions, with 17 percent of them experiencing significant difficulty. Although this figure is slightly lower than last year, the lack of skills remains a widespread problem across all three Belgian regions, with Brussels experiencing the most pronounced impact (76 percent), followed by Flanders (72 percent). percent) and Wallonia (70 percent).
Sébastien Delfosse, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup BeLux, highlights the paradox of a persistent imbalance between supply and demand for skills in Belgium, echoing a global trend observed at 74 percent. He points out that despite record-breaking business failures and restructurings that have led to an unprecedented influx of available workers over the past decade, employers continue to face recruiting challenges. Additionally, automation and artificial intelligence have yet to provide the expected relief, as these systems still require significant human supervision to operate effectively.
Dealing with the talent shortage
ManpowerGroup’s latest report, entitled “Accelerating Adaptability” and presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, underlines this point. While automation and AI technologies are promising, they are not a silver bullet to the talent shortage. The report also identifies challenges associated with AI implementation, such as bridging the gap between management expectations and worker adoption due to skills gaps and lack of appropriate training necessary to achieve the desired productivity gains.
Recruitment challenges extend to all sectors in Belgium. Employers in finance and real estate (80 percent), utilities/education/other sectors (79 percent), manufacturing (76 percent), energy (76 percent), and IT workers (74 percent) are particularly struggling to fill vacant positions. Small businesses with 10 to 49 employees encounter the greatest recruitment difficulties (80 percent).
-Flexible working arrangements
Flexibility is increasingly being integrated into employer strategies to combat the talent shortage. Hybrid and remote work arrangements are the second priority (19 percent), followed by flexible working hours (17 percent). To better combat the skilled labor shortage, employers are exploring new talent pools and increasingly using flexible recruitment solutions such as temporary or contract workers.
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