Around 140,000 people or one in 20 of those who are working in Flanders have a second job in addition to the professional activity with which they earn their main income.
The number of people between the ages of 20 and 64 in the region with a second job has increased in recent years, according to figures that Flemish MP Axel Ronse requested from Flemish Employment Minister Jo Brouns.
"In 2019, before the pandemic, 137,900 Flemish people had a second job. In 2021, that number rose to 139,300, which also represents about 4.8% of the working population living in Flanders," Ronse said, adding that the pandemic did not have a massive effect on these figures.
This is similar to the percentage of the total working population with a second job across the whole country: around 5% of all employed people are working two jobs.
However, on a national level, this figure has increased sharply, from some 204,000 employed people working a second job in the first quarter of 2021 to 265,000 one year later.
Second job popular among those with higher education
In Flanders, people with a high level of education make up more than half of the group of people with a second job.
When looking at people's education level, 5.3% of the employed people who are highly educated have a second job, compared to 4.5% among the semi-educated and 3.6% among the shorter educated (a secondary or primary school diploma).
Meanwhile, men (56%) are more likely to have a second job than women (44%).
Within the group with a second job, the share of self-employed activities has decreased slightly: 60.5% of the second jobs involve people who are self-employed last year, compared to 63.8% in 2019.
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Meanwhile, the number of new one-man businesses and new companies did increase in 2021. "Flanders remains the engine of the economy in our country," Ronse said.
"The Flemish people continue to be entrepreneurs. This is once again demonstrated by the above figures. That is why we must continue on our chosen path and remove all barriers so that everyone who wants to do business can do so."
