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2020 OECD Economic Surveys: Belgium 2020

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Belgium performs well in many economic and well-being dimensions, but risks are building up. Maintaining the reform momentum will boost the resilience of the Belgian economy. Rebuilding fiscal buffers should remain a priority to cope with population ageing. Strong mortgage credit growth and easing of lending standards require adequate prudential measures. The employment rate remains low and changes in the nature of work can exacerbate existing gaps according to socio-economic status or regions. Rising skill shortages in some sectors signal a need to better align skills with labour market needs. Better work incentives could be achieved through reforming both unemployment and in-work benefits. Boosting medium-term growth requires higher productivity growth through faster technological diffusion and ensuring that firms are more exposed to competition.

SPECIAL FEATURE: ADDRESSING LABOUR MARKET CHALLENGES

English Also available in: French

Addressing labour market challenges

Job creation has lowered unemployment, but the Belgian labour market still faces many challenges. Employment rates remain low, reflecting barriers to finding a job such as low levels of skills and weak work incentives. In addition, the changing nature of work will require faster adaptation of workers. In order to address these challenges, this chapter presents a detailed analysis of policy priorities, drawing notably on insights from the OECD Jobs Strategy. One priority should be that each worker has access to lifelong training, with additional allowances targeted to disadvantaged workers. To improve transitions into work, the use of tools for the profiling of individualised risks should be extended. A better combination of income support and incentives could be achieved through reforming both unemployment and in-work benefits. Reforming some aspects of employment protection legislation, such as those related to collective dismissals, and the wage formation system, would boost flexibility. Although Belgium has made good progress in addressing the social assistance needs and tax systems related to non-standard employment, some gaps remain vis-à-vis regular workers.

English Also available in: French

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