The Brussels-Capital Region has recorded an unemployment rate of 15.2%, up from 14.4% the previous year.
At the end of December, employment agency Actiris recorded a 5.6% rise in job seekers, up to 92,053 people. This is 4,978 more job seekers than the previous year. However, the number of unemployed people receiving an allowance fell by 1.3%, or 660 individuals.
There has been an 11.3% increase in young people going through a professional training programme, accounting for 730 individuals.
Out of the 92,053 job seekers, 16.9% (15,599 individuals) are registered with their local Public Centre for Social Welfare (CPAS), marking a 20.1% increase compared to the previous year.
Regarding age demographics, there has been a 12% increase in job seekers under the age of 25, an additional count of 1,138 individuals. The 25-49 age category saw a 6.6% rise, whilst job seekers above 50 increased by 1.2%.
During the month of December alone, 8,757 people registered as unemployed. Of these, 1,834 had never registered before. In the same period, 6,639 people found employment. In the entire year, the amount of long-term job seekers (people unemployed for over two years) fell by 0.6%.
Brussels in context
The Brussels-Capital Region has the highest unemployment rates in Belgium despite incremental employment growth since 2000. Along with Wallonia, the province's employment rates remain below the country average, while Flanders enjoyed the highest employment rate of 80% in 2022.
Despite a rise in job seekers in the Belgian capital, the country as a whole is doing well by European standards. A Eurostat survey published in October revealed that the unemployment rate across the EU reached 5.9%, compared to the collective figure of 5% in Belgium.
