Almost 615,000 workers in Flanders have registered to receive a so-called 'job bonus,' an initiative from the region to make working more attractive than unemployment benefits.
All people living in the region and earning no more than €2,500 per month were eligible for the scheme launched in November last year equating to some 730,000 people. The reward amounted to a maximum of around €600 net.
"'Sometimes the financial difference between unemployment benefits and a job is too small. With the job bonus, we want to encourage people to stay in work and to look for a job," Flemish Minister of Employment Jo Brouns said when announcing the measure.
In some lower-paid jobs in Belgium, employees are paid so little for their work that their wage sometimes equates to the same amount as unemployed people on benefits are entitled to.
Premium totalling €176 million
People eligible for the additional bonus received an average amount of €290 in their account, resulting in the Flemish government already paying out nearly €176 million in premiums.
The highest number of beneficiaries was registered in Antwerp (176,181) followed by the province of East Flanders (142,409).
Most recipients are between 25 and 50 years old, while the largest proportion of people who received the bonus are employed in the service voucher sector and the temp sector (34% and 12%, respectively), where wages are often lower than in other sectors.
Related News
- Flanders offers 'job bonus' for 730,000 people: How to claim yours
- Fewer employee bonuses handed out in 2022 as financial crisis bites
However, the latest figures, requested from Brouns by Flemish MP Tom Ongena (Open VLD) show that more than 110,000 working Flemish people still have to receive their bonus, which is awarded automatically to eligible people who registered to receive an account number with My Citizen Profile.
From this year, the group has been expanded as a result of wage indexation: the lower limit has increased to a gross monthly salary of €1,950 while the upper limit has risen from €2,500 to €2,900, resulting in 900,000 working people in Flanders being entitled to the bonus.
