The number of permanent workers in the hospitality sector surged by 25% between 2013 and 2023, according to a study released by human resources specialist SD Worx on Monday.
The sector now employs more than 150,000 people and the upward trend is continuing, partly due to flexi-jobs and student workers.
SD Worx's calculations show that permanent employment (people with indefinite contracts) in the hospitality sector increased from 120,687 workers at the end of 2013 to 150,830 at the end of 2023.
The number of employers in the sector also grew by 18.5% over ten years, reaching 26,748 by the end of last year. This growth has been consistent, apart from a "significant drop" in the first quarter of 2021.
The SD Worx study also shows that there was a surge in hospitality employment in Belgium this summer. Compared to the previous year, the summer quarter (July-August-September) saw a 4.5% increase in flexi-jobs, a 4.5% rise in student jobs, and an 8.3% boost in permanent positions.
A report published this summer highlighted that Belgium's hospitality sector is increasingly reliant on "special status" employees. These include students, casual workers, overtime, as well as "flexi-job" workers, who worked almost a third of all hours in the sector last year.
The flexi-job scheme allows people who already have a job or who are retired to work unlimited hours on the side without being taxed. "Flexi-jobs and students are an important and growing complement to permanent employment in the hospitality sector," said head of hospitality at SD Worx, Steven Rosseel.
"Not only are we seeing a new increase in flexi-jobs in the third quarter of 2024, but also in student jobs. However, the most notable increase is in permanent positions," he added.
