In the fourth quarter of 2023, Belgian businesses had 184,431 vacant jobs, a decrease from the 198,724 in the previous quarter, according to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office.
The job vacancy rate – which is the number of unfilled jobs compared to the total number of jobs – also declined from 4.72% to 4.38%.
The number of vacant positions saw a decrease in all three regions. This includes a reduction of 11,269 vacancies in the Flemish Region, 2,692 in the Walloon Region and 332 in the Brussels-Capital Region, compared to the third quarter.
With 66.07% of all vacancies, the Flemish Region continues to have the highest number of vacant jobs in Belgium, Statbel underscored. Wallonia came in second place with 20.69% of all vacancies, followed by the Brussels-Capital Region at 13.24%.
Over three-quarters (77.9%) of these vacancies are in the following five economic sectors: the non-profit sector, sciences and services, commerce, industry and construction.
The job vacancy rate has decreased mainly in the accommodation and food service sectors (-2.25 percentage points), other services (-1.32 points) and construction (-0.84 points).
Conversely, it has increased significantly in the real estate sector (+2.39 points). The rate is highest in the information and communication sector (7.07%) and lowest in the other services sector (3.06%).
