In West Flanders, the number of jobseekers without work fell to 35,346 at the end of September 2026, a decrease of 0.7% compared to the previous year. Currently, 6.1% of the working population is actively seeking employment.
The proportion of unemployed jobseekers receiving or having applied for unemployment benefits has dropped to less than half (41.1%) of the total. Concurrently, the share of former inactive individuals has risen to over half (52.5%). More than one in two jobseekers without work (54.1%) faces significant barriers to entering the labor market.
Over the past twelve months, 43,934 vacancies from West Flanders were directly reported to VDAB, marking a 12.2% decrease compared to the previous year. The rising tension indicator (3.43 in September 2026), primarily driven by a sharp decline in labor demand, suggests a more relaxed labor market.
The combination of reduced labor demand and increased unemployment is leading to a decrease in labor market tightness. Nevertheless, the search for personnel remains challenging in many sectors, particularly in the structural bottleneck professions that are expected to persist due to an aging population and shortages from the education system.
