Brussels recorded the highest level of unemployed jobseekers in almost seven years at the end of July.
According to the latest statistics from Brussels public employment service, Actiris, the Belgian capital counted 93,416 unemployed job seekers last month, marking a rise of 4,185 individuals within the past year.
This increase spans nearly all categories, with the young (+10.8% year-on-year) and the highly educated (+10.1% year-on-year) bearing the most significant rise. Meanwhile, the number of low-skilled job-seekers slightly fell by -1.2%.
Unemployment has been rising in Brussels for over a year, with the rate escalating by 4.8% in July alone. Actiris attributes this to job-seekers who receive a living allowance or its equivalent.
The employment service noted that when these individuals register, they no longer need to reapply every three months, causing the total number of jobseekers to automatically increase.
Without considering individuals relying on public centres for social welfare (OCMW) – almost 18,000 – the growth in July would be just +2.1%, explained Actiris.
The unemployment rate in Brussels equates to 14.9%, a rise from previous months which hovered around 14.2%. Notably, this figure excludes those who are inactive -residents over 15 years old who are neither employed nor seeking employment.
