On 13 March 2025, Statbel published the figures for the fourth quarter of 2024 and the first annual figures for 2024 from the Labour Force Survey. A warning message has been placed for figures down to provincial level, indicating that the results for the province of Flemish Brabant are not sufficiently reliable for the period 2021-2024. Additional information can be found in the detailed explanatory note.
The employment rate in the province of Flemish Brabant has been on a downward trend for some time, diverging from the other provinces and the Flemish Region.
In cooperation with VDAB Vlaams-Brabant and Steunpunt Werk, possible explanations were sought in certain socio-economic shifts or effects of the methodology without being able to identify one clear cause. An extensive internal investigation revealed that the problem was due to the work of one interviewer in the province of Flemish Brabant.
Due to these quality issues, the employment rate for Flemish Brabant for the reference years 2021 to 2024 is underestimated. The impact on the figures for the Flemish Region and Belgium remains limited. This does not alter the conclusions that can be drawn.
As the problem does not lie with the calculation method but with the data collected, it is not possible to repeat the fieldwork carried out in 2021-2024. Statbel has therefore indicated in its various publications (graphs, tables, etc.) that the figures published for Flemish Brabant are not sufficiently reliable.
Statbel is taking this problem seriously and has taken several steps to make sure that the results from the first quarter of 2025 (published on 10 June 2025) give a more accurate picture of the labour market situation in Flemish Brabant.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Apply as an interviewerStatbel, the Belgian statistical office, is always looking for new interviewers. Even though a lot of information is now collected through databases, direct surveys among citizens remain an essential tool to produce reliable statistics. The interviewer plays a central role in this type of data collection. This is someone with excellent social skills who is looking for an attractive source of additional income. However, in many municipalities, there are not enough interviewers to carry out all the planned surveys. Apply now or find out more about what the job of interviewer involves. |