The Brussels-Capital Region is the most knowledge-intensive area in Belgium, according to a study published in the scientific journal Brussels Studies, which found that 45% of jobs in Brussels are knowledge-intensive.
Researchers identified employees based on higher education qualifications and job titles or classifications, such as managers; holding intellectual, scientific, and artistic occupations; or technicians and related professions.
By this definition, 45% of Brussels jobs are considered knowledge-intensive, making the region the most knowledge-driven in Belgium. The capital also significantly influences the surrounding Flemish periphery, showing similar statistics for the metropolitan area.
Despite the concentration of knowledge-intensive jobs in and around Brussels, their growth rate is minimal, increasing by only 0.51% from 2008 to 2020 compared to 1.11% for the entire country.
"While key knowledge-intensive sectors like financial services, healthcare, liberal professions, and headquarters activities are still overrepresented in the capital, the Brussels Region has seen reduced employment growth in these sectors compared to the rest of Belgium, unlike the surrounding Brussels periphery," Brussels Studies reports.
The publication also highlights an unequal geographical distribution among various sectors of the knowledge economy in and around Brussels.
"Certain activity clusters, such as financial services, are mainly located within the Region, while industries like pharmaceuticals prefer Walloon Brabant and large accounting firms opt for Zaventem in the outskirts. The development of these diverse sectors brings varied economic impacts to the metropolitan area," it concludes.
