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Belgium Information · Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 21 Home Country: belgium

EMPLOYMENT IN BELGIUM

The Belgian Job Market

Finding a job in Belgium may not be quite as difficult as the statistics would lead you to believe, but it does take a certain amount of experience, a number of qualifications, a lot of perseverance and more than a little luck.

If you’re a national of a European Union (EU) country, you already have the right to work in the Belgium under the EU’s freedom of movement provisions. Once you’ve found a job, you simply register with the appropriate authorities where you’ll be living and a residence permit is automatically granted.

Non-EU nationals without automatic rights to work in Belgium will find it rather more difficult because any potential employer must seek the approval of the local labour or employment office in order to hire a non-EU foreigner.

Foreigners are found in large numbers throughout Belgium, and the numbers are probably much higher than official statistics suggest, as those working for the various international organisations (particularly those in and around Brussels) often aren’t considered as residents.

Belgium reports around 9 per cent foreigners in the general population. As in much of Europe, illegal immigration is considered a major problem, particularly the use of Belgian ports as staging posts for the smuggling of illegal immigrants into the UK is widespread. Like other European countries, Belgium has tightened the immigration laws in recent years, both to protect local citizens’ rights in a period of high unemployment and to discourage trafficking in economic refugees.

Qualifications

Belgium adheres to the EU’s general system of recognition of diplomas and qualifications, which means that if your occupation is regulated in Belgium, you’ll have to have your home country qualification or experience formally recognised in order to practise your profession in Belgium.

Certain professions (mostly in medicine) have been ‘harmonised’ across the EU, so you may find your qualifications are automatically accepted. For other professions, you must prove that your training and experience covered a similar subject matter and duration as that of the locally required qualification. You may also be required to demonstrate your fluency in one or more of the local languages.If you’re lacking in any significant respect, you may be given the opportunity to qualify by passing an examination or performing further supervised practice.

To determine what the qualification criteria are for your profession, contact the regulatory board or professional society for your profession in your home country. They will put you in contact with the appropriate agency in your destination country if they don’t have specific information about reciprocity.

It’s also possible, particularly if you practise a trade that is regulated in the country to which you plan to go, to obtain a Certificate of Experience, documenting three to six years’ practical experience. This can be particularly useful if you’ve been self-employed in a trade.

Under normal circumstances, any university degree or academic diploma should be recognised in Belgium, but if you anticipate any difficulties you should contact one of the National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARICs). These are available in all EU member states.

Belgium may be the European champion in terms of the number of occupations that are regulated and require some form of licence or certification. Many trades (e.g. photographer, used car dealer, plumber, electrician, bricklayer) require you to register your qualifications with the appropriate Chamber of Crafts and Trades (Chambre des Métiers et Négoces/Kamer van Ambachten en Neringen), particularly if you’re planning to be self-employed.

Employment Agencies

Public and Private Employment Agencies
There’s a European Employment Service (EURES) network, members of which include all EU countries plus Norway and Iceland. The member states exchange information regularly on job vacancies, and local EURES offices have access to a considerable amount of information about applying for jobs and living and working conditions.

The international department of your home country employment service can put you in touch with one of their Euro-advisers, who will give you advice on finding work in Belgium. Euro-advisors can also forward your details to the national employment service of the country you’re interested in. The EU website (http://europa.eu.int) contains information about EURES and EURES-related agencies in many European countries, as well as factsheets concerning specific countries.

Belgian government employment services are available by region and by language. The main employment service for the Brussels region is the ORBEM/BGDA (Office Régional Bruxellois de l’Emploi/Brusselse Gewestelijke Diest voor Arbeidsbemiddeling) and there are sub-regional employment offices, SSE/STD (Services Subrégionaux de l’Emploi/Subregionale Tewerkstellingsdiensten), throughout Flanders and Wallonia. The ORBEM/BGDA lists office hours, addresses and phone numbers, as well as job postings on its website (www.orbem.be or www.bgda.be).

Recruitment Agencies
Belgium is well served by private recruitment agencies, many of which operate on a European or worldwide basis. Some executive level management and information technology jobs are listed with headhunters in countries worldwide, particularly where broad international experience or English-language fluency is required.

Agents place advertisements in daily and weekly newspapers and trade magazines but don’t mention the client’s name (not least to prevent applicants from approaching the company directly, thus depriving the agency of its fee).

Many of the standard European and international employment agencies, such as Adia, Manpower, PA Consulting Group and Michael Page, have offices in Brussels and other cities. Locally owned and operated agencies often post clerical and administrative jobs in their shop windows.

Most legitimate recruitment services charge the employer a fee based on the annual salary paid to the successful candidate. Fees can run to as much as 40 or 50 per cent of a year’s salary, which the headhunter may have to refund if you don’t survive the initial probationary period (anything from one to six months). Be extremely wary of recruiters who demand a fee up front from the job applicant or expect you to reimburse them for postage, telephone costs or other charges incurred during the course of the job hunt.

Jobs in the International Civil Service

Belgium offers some unique opportunities for employment in what is sometimes called the ‘international civil service’ sector.Brussels is home to not only the European Commission (central administrative body of the EU) but also to a number of other international and multinational organisations and agencies.

Working for these government and quasi-government agencies often entitles you to a sort of semi-diplomatic status, a variety of tax and social benefits and often a ‘comfortable’ salary.

Foremost among these opportunities is the European Union, often referred to simply as ‘Brussels’ on account of its overwhelming presence there. The EU and its various agencies, directorates, organisations and support functions employ more than 12,000 people in the area around Brussels. Only EU nationals can apply, and for most jobs you’re expected to have fluency in at least one or two languages other than your mother tongue. If you speak one of the more ‘unusual’ languages of the EU (e.g. Finnish, Greek or Danish), your chance of being hired will greatly improve and you may find yourself eligible for special training programmes as well.

A few departments and agencies within the EU are gearing up for the addition of new member states, and a working knowledge of Polish, Hungarian or Czech could also come in handy. The EU agencies try to maintain a balance among employees from the various member countries. The EU website (http://europa.eu.int) includes links to many of the agencies and other departments within the EU, an increasing number of which are posting job vacancies on their websites.

NATO is another international organisation located in Belgium, employing around 3,000 people at its headquarters, and a few thousand more at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE) located at Le Casteau, near Mons in France. Employment is limited to nationals of the member countries (though this includes quite a few more than the 15 members of the EU, including the US, so Americans have a chance here). Apply through the delegation of your home country. NATO has a website (www.nato.int), which includes links to listings of civilian job vacancies within the organisation.

There are also a number of non-government organisations (NGOs) located in various cities throughout Belgium, some of which enjoy some or all of the advantages of the so-called International Civil Service. Jobs for these and other international agencies are regularly posted in international publications, as well as on the organisations’ websites.

Temping

Temporary and casual work includes the following:

* Office work – well paid if you’re qualified, this is generally the easiest work to find on account of the large number of temporary secretarial and office staff agencies.

* Work in the building trade – this can be found by applying directly at building sites and through industrial recruitment agencies such as Manpower.

* Jobs in shops and stores over Christmas and during sale periods.

* Gardening jobs in private gardens, public parks and garden centres, particularly in spring and summer.

* Peddling ice cream, cold drinks and fast food, e.g. in tourist areas or at trade shows and fairs.

* Work as a security guard (long hours for low pay).

* Nursing and auxiliary nursing in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes (temps are often employed through nursing agencies to replace permanent staff at short notice).

* Newspaper, magazine and leaflet distribution.

* Courier work (own transport required – motorcycle, car or van).

* Driving jobs, including coach and truck drivers, and ferrying cars for manufacturers and car hire companies.

* Miscellaneous jobs such as office cleaners, babysitters and labourers – these can be obtained through a number of agencies specialising in temporary work.

You can find temporary agencies, such as Adia, Adecco and Manpower, in most larger cities. Be particularly careful about jobs that may require permits or other forms of qualification. The building trades are strictly regulated in Belgium and some trades may not be open to foreign nationals even on a temporary or casual basis, or you may require specific (and difficult to obtain) licences or permits. It’s sometimes possible to find seasonal employment, usually in agricultural regions or tourist areas during the summer holiday season.

Internships

The European Union and EURES have a number of programmes for young people interested in training and work experience abroad. Contact your country’s national employment services agency or the national trade association for the industry in which you wish to train, who may be able to put you in contact with a suitable Belgium employer.

Employment Contracts

In Belgium, an employment contract exists as soon as you undertake a job for which you expect to be paid, although employees nearly always have a written employment contract to document the existence of a formal work relationship.

Especially as a foreigner, you should ask for a written contract if one is not automatically offered to you. You may be required to submit a copy of your employment contract to local officials when applying for your residence permit, especially if you’re in a ‘protected’ category, such as an au pair.

There are three different kinds of employment contracts and it’s important that you understand which applies to you. A limited time contract is one that ends after a set period of time, such as six months or a year; contracts for specific work end when the work you’ve been hired to do is completed; indeterminate contracts are those for ‘permanent’ jobs, which can only be terminated according to the terms of the contract regarding notice periods and severance pay.

In most cases, if you don’t have a written contract by the first day you start a job, you’re assumed to be a permanent employee and subject to the privileges and obligations of all other permanent employees, depending upon the level of the job and the salary you’re being paid. Limited term contracts are often subject to restrictions, particularly concerning how often and under what circumstances they can be renewed or when the job must be converted to a permanent (i.e. indeterminate contract) position.

All employment contracts are subject to the national labour laws, and references may be made to other regulations such as collective agreements. Anything in contracts contrary to statutory provisions and unfavourable to an employee may be challenged in a labour court, but in principle you’re allowed to strike an agreement with your employer that waives some or all of your rights under the law or collective agreement. As with all contracts, you should know exactly what an employment contract contains before signing it. The legally binding version of an employment contract is normally the one written in one of the local languages (e.g. French or Flemish), but you can and should ask for at least an informal translation into your own language if you’re unsure of any of the terms or provisions.


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