Work conditions in Belgium

The Active Population in Figures

Working Conditions

Legal Weekly Duration

35, 38 or 39 hours

Retirement Age

66 years old from 2025. 67 years old from 2030.

Working Contracts

There are several types of employment contracts commonly used in Belgium. There are different contracts for manual workers, white-collar workers, domestic workers, student workers, professional sports people and home workers. More info is available at Angloinfo.

Labour Laws

Doing Business: Belgium, to obtain a summary of labour regulations that apply to local entreprises

Cost of Labour

Minimum Wage

The national statutory minimum wage in Belgium is about €2,112 per month gross, set by the Belgian National Labour Council and enforced under Belgian labour law.

Average Wage

€3,800 - €4,000 ; Brussels averages are higher (approx. €4,400).

Social Contributions

Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: The employers’ standard social security contributions are equal to 25% of gross salaries (including the base rate of 19.88% and the wage moderation of 5.12%). However, additional general contributions should be calculated (Asbestos Fund, Closure Fund, sector-specific fund for subsistence, etc.), thus the average employers’ contribution for white collar workers generally goes up to 27.5%.
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: Withholding tax is estimated at 13.07% of gross salary.

Social Partners

Employer Associations

AKT - Walloon Union of Enterprises

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners

Belgian workers are highly unionised. A national bargaining process covers inter-professional agreements that the trade union confederations negotiate biennially with the government and the employers' associations.

Labour Unions

Syndicat Liberal
Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond / Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens -
Nationale Bondsstaat van de Kaders / Confédération Nationale des Cadres -
Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond / Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique

Unionisation Rate

60%

Labour Regulation Bodies