Commuting to Brussels pays off

Work & training
Commuting to Brussels pays off

Wages in Belgium in 2016

People working in the centre of the country are more likely to get a high salary. In the Brussels-Capital Region, the average gross monthly salary is 17 % above the national gross monthly salary, according to the new results of Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. The figures come from the 2016 survey on earnings, conducted among almost 95,000 employees.

These are the main conclusions:

  • A full-time employee earned a gross average salary of 3,489 euros per month.
  • 50% of the employees earned more than 3,053 euros. 10% of the employees earned less than 2,233 euros, while 10 % earned more than 5,381 euros.

Various aspects have a significant impact on the salary:

  • The position of the employee: managing directors and chief executives were the best paid; waiters and bartenders earned the least.
  • The sex of the employee: in 2016, full-time female employees earned 5 % less than their male colleagues. However, the gender pay gap has sharply decreased this last decade.
  • The age of the employee: the pay gap between younger and older employees remains significant: people older than 60 earn 113% more than employees under 20.
  • The sector where the employee works: the petrochemical industry is the highest-paying sector of our economy. Food and beverage service activities pay the lowest salaries.
  • The place of work: people working in and around Brussels earn on average more than elsewhere in Belgium. In the two other regions, salaries are the lowest in the districts of Dinant and Veurne.
  • The diploma of the employee: a higher diploma usually guarantees a higher salary. Employees with a master's degree earn 51% more than the Belgian average. People having completed at most lower secondary education only receive a salary that is 23% lower than the national average.