Over 90,000 people were registered as jobseekers in Brussels at the end of October, an increase of 1,142 people compared to 2023, according to a report by the regional employment office, Actiris, on Wednesday.
The unemployment rate in the capital is now 14.7%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from last year.
The percentage of the active population (those of working age who are either employed or seeking employment) who are unemployed, explains Actiris. Inactive individuals, who are not included in this calculation, are those aged 15 and over who are neither employed nor unemployed, such as students and retirees.
In October, there were 10,740 entries into unemployment, compared to 11,661 exits, resulting in a monthly decrease of 921 jobseekers (-1%). Among the 92,435 jobseekers, 49% are women and 51% are men.
Actiris observed a 1.1% increase in the number of jobseekers receiving benefits, now making up 54.8% of the total.
Overall, the number of other jobseekers increased by 2.3% (768 people) to 37.5%. Out of the total 92,435 jobseekers, 16,547 people (17.9%) were registered with the public centre for social welfare (CPAS). This figure increased by 7.6% over one year.
The majority of the unemployed (45.2%) have been jobless for over two years, while 4 in 10 have been unemployed for less than a year.
The age group of 25-49 years constitutes 63.4% of the unemployed and showed the most significant increase last month (+2.9%, or 1,672 people). The under 25 unemployment category saw a 0.5% increase, while unemployment for those aged 50 or older decreased by 2.5%.
