Belgium’s Open VLD party aims to boost employment rates, focusing particularly on the stay-at-home parent demographic.
The Vice-Prime Minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne, drew attention to this group’s overlooked status in a conversation with Het Nieuwsblad newspaper. He indicated that many of these individuals are immigrant women who face barriers such as lack of training, discrimination, and cultural constraints.
Tougher measures proposed
Van Quickenborne is advocating for a reduction in unemployment benefits for co-habitants of the primary wage earner.
Currently, these benefits amount to 60% of the last earned salary. The Open VLD party, however, wants to bring this down to 55%. “We need to activate these individuals.
This is a huge untapped source, estimated at around 50,000 individuals,” said Van Quickenborne. He added, “If you want to be a housewife, fine, but you must cover your own costs.”
As part of their strategy, the Open VLD party is also pushing for an expansion of flexi-jobs into various sectors. These include education, pharmacies, driving schools, travel agents, early childhood care, taxis, hairdressers, and more.
