⚠️ NET EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK +14% (4th consecutive decline) · VACANCY RATE 3.8% (2nd highest in EU) · 0% WAGE NORM enforced for 2025-2026 · AUDI BRUSSELS: 3,400+ jobs lost · MEAL VOUCHERS up to €10/day as retention tool · CUMMINS WESTERLO hydrogen production ceased · WHITE-COLLAR AI DISPLACEMENT accelerating ·
⚠️ NET EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK +14% (4th consecutive decline) · VACANCY RATE 3.8% (2nd highest in EU) · 0% WAGE NORM enforced for 2025-2026 · AUDI BRUSSELS: 3,400+ jobs lost · MEAL VOUCHERS up to €10/day as retention tool · CUMMINS WESTERLO hydrogen production ceased · WHITE-COLLAR AI DISPLACEMENT accelerating ·
Lead Analysis · February 2026
A Market Frozen Between Structural Shortage and Regulatory Paralysis
Belgium’s labour market in February 2026 presents a profound paradox: a 73.3% employment rate masks a 3.8% vacancy rate — the second-highest in the EU — while the ManpowerGroup Net Employment Outlook has plummeted to +14%, its lowest since pandemic-era 2021. The 0% wage norm freezes real salary growth, Audi Brussels has shed 3,400 jobs, and AI is quietly eliminating entry-level white-collar roles. The Beveridge curve has shifted outward, signalling a severe deterioration in matching efficiency. This is not a recession. It’s something more structurally complex.
Employment Rate
73.3%
Ages 20–64 | ILO Unemployment: 5.9%
Vacancy Rate
3.8%
2nd highest in EU | NL: 4.1%, EU avg: 2.1%
Net Employment Outlook
+14%
↓ 13pts from Q1 2025 | EU avg: +19%
Wage Norm
0%
Federal freeze 2025–2026 | Indexation intact