There are three ways to find out you’ve lost your job in Brussels: verbally, by registered letter or by huissier, an official bailiff who serves official documents.

However it happens, losing your job is never pleasant, but it can be the start of better things. Belgium’s unemployment figures are below the EU average, and the country has the second-highest vacancy rate in the EU. You can increase your chances of landing one by being on top of what to do next.

Actiris

Actiris is the front end of the Brussels employment office and the first thing to do is register with your local branch to safeguard your social security status and get help and advice. You don’t have to be entitled to unemployment benefits to take advantage of Actiris’s offer. Let’s repeat that for those at the back: you don’t have to be entitled to unemployment benefits to take advantage of Actiris. What’s more, you can choose to register with as many other communes or regions as you wish to access their job offers too.

You can register online or make an appointment to do it in person with an advisor. A visit to Actiris can be daunting, and my own experience of the front desk was not great. They deal with all sorts of people, some of whom are vulnerable and know little about the system. They can seem a bit brusque. Note that although you might have an appointment, people who arrive after you may be seen first. Remember, you don’t know what others’ circumstances are. Keep your cool and make sure you have your identity documents with you.

Define, refine and prepare

Beyond the front desk, things start looking up. Actiris agents can help define your job search, refine your CV and prepare the dreaded ‘letter of motivation’. You can sign up for a wide range of subsidised or free training. Belgian employers say that candidates lack hard skills, such as one of the official languages or technical expertise, so why not seize the opportunity to update or enhance your skillset?

The Actiris website provides a one-stop-shop for young people, professionals, employers and anyone interested in the Brussels job market. You can access your own space, save job searches, and delve into interactive marketplace information and monthly statistics. Networking and training events are listed. Heck, you don’t even have to lose your job to take a look; why not check it out today?

The post What to do if you lose your job in Brussels? appeared first on Brussels Express.

About 1/3 of the Brussels residents live with a monthly income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold. That’s the main message that comes out from the last report released by the Brussels-Capital Social and Health Observatory last week. To be clear, the at-risk-of-poverty threshold is calculated by taking into account the national median income. If a person earns less than 60% of this national median income (EUR 1139 in Belgium for a single person without children), he or she lives with an income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold.

That’s quite a huge rate. Comparing that rate with Flanders and Wallonia, you might be surprised (10% in Flanders and 21% in Wallonia, live below the threshold respectively).

If you have a look at the GDP per inhabitant, the Brussels-Capital region is, however, much richer than the other Belgian regions. The average GDP per inhabitant indeed reached EUR 63 790 per year in 2016, while it only reached EUR 38 288 in Flanders and EUR 27 220 in Wallonia.

The public body states that both the jobs and the incomes in Brussels-Capital do not benefit many Brussels residents. And half of the positions in Brussels are held by people who live either in Flanders or in Wallonia.

This at-risk-of-poverty rate exposes very different realities. 27% of the people without higher education (who have only graduated from high-school for instance) face risk of poverty, while only 6% of those who have graduated from a Bachelor’s degree or a Masters’ degree are in this situation.

Having a look at some details, some figures are scary. In Brussels-capital, 17% of the labour force and 24% of the young residents (up to 25 years-old) are registered at Actiris, the regional body in charge of employment. About 21% of the 18-64 years-old residents benefit from social help or an alternative source of income.

The report is full on information, and makes public the geographical inequalities in Brussels-Capital. For instance, while about 1/8 of the seniors (as of 65 years-old) benefit from social income designed for aged people, this rate reaches only 4% in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and 28% in Saint-Josse.

Living and/or working in the EU neighbourhood might make you forget some sad difficulties thousands of Brussels residents face on the daily basis. We all should keep those elements in mind.

For more information, here you can find the report.

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Actiris offers young people with little to no qualifications a first-time work experience through their transitional internship program. In the previous year, 1,229 youngsters profited from from an internship, whether it was in companies (57%), within an administration (28%), or in an NGO (15%). The employers who contributed the most to this program are Bruxelles-Propreté with 83 trainees, and Proximus with 45.

In the private sector, hospitality and commerce accounted for more than half of all the internships offered (56%).

In order to qualify for an internship, the candidate has to be younger than 30 years old, have the best CESS, be registered as an unemployed job-seeker for at least 78 days after completing your education, and you must not have a professional experience of more than 90 consecutive days.

If you believe that you meet the criteria, you should wait no more and apply.

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This is 657 fewer people than last year (-7.7%), 1.612 fewer than in June 2016 (-17.0%) and 2.516 fewer than in June 2015 (-24.2% ). The number of young job seekers decreased by 34.9% (-4.222); one-third less since 2014.

The overall unemployment rate in Brussels stands at 15.8%. This corresponds to 88,541 job seekers, a decrease of 3,019 people compared to 2017 (-3,3%). This is the lowest level in 15 years. Compared to 2016, the number of unemployed persons decreased by 7,902 people (-8,2%) and by 11,515 people compared to 2015 (-11,5%). And since June 2014, the number of job seekers decreased by 19.208. In other words, a decrease of 17.8% in 4 years.

Source: actiris.brussels

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The rate of unemployment dropped 5.8% from December 2016 to December 2017. It stood at 16.4% last month, which is the lowest rate since 2000 according to Actiris (the public body in charge of unemployment). For more than three years, unemployment rate kept on decreasing every month. 91,091 Brussels-based resident were seeking for a job last month, while  in 2016 96,700.

Although this figure is very positive, youth unemployment remains a major issue, as 24.3% of the young Brusselians (less than 25 years old) are unemployed.

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