Low-skilled men are more often employed than women
On 1 May is Workers' Day. An opportunity for Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, to look at the employment rate by level of education.
On 1 January 2021, date of the latest CENSUS, 55.8% of people aged 25 to 64 with a low level of education (lower secondary education diploma at most) were employed. This rate increases to 76.9% for medium-skilled people (upper secondary education diploma). For highly-skilled people (higher education diploma), the employment rate is 87.4%.
Access to employment, even without a diploma
So fewer people with a low level of education are in employment. However, some municipalities have a particularly high employment rate for these people.
The municipalities of Stabroek in the province of Antwerp and Peer in Limburg have an employment rate for low-skilled people of 65% and 60.2% respectively.
The higher the level of education, the smaller the gender employment gap
There are also marked differences in the employment rate of people with a low level of education depending on sex, in particular in the municipalities around the Port of Antwerp. The difference between the employment rate of men and women with no upper secondary education diploma amounts to 25.2 percentage points in Sint-Gillis-Waas, 18.8 percentage points in Beveren and 18.3 percentage points in Stabroek. In each case, the employment rate for low-skilled men exceeds 70%, while that of women with the same level of education fluctuates between 50 and 55%.
In Limburg too, there is a significant difference between the employment rates of men and women with no upper secondary education diploma. The municipality of Beringen shows the largest gap with 22 percentage points[1]. Men’s employment rate there is 63.9% and that of women 42%.
In Wallonia, the municipality of Daverdisse, in the province of Luxembourg, shows the largest employment gap: 25.4 percentage points. Men’s employment rate with no upper secondary education diploma is 73% versus 47.6% for women.
This gender gap tends to diminish for highly-skilled people. So, while the employment rate of men with a higher education diploma is 92.2% in Stabroek, 93.5% in Peer and 92.9% in Daverdisse, that of women is 90.2%, 91% and 82.8% respectively.
Record employment rates in Flanders
It can be seen that it is mainly municipalities in West Flanders and East Flanders that have the highest employment rates for highly-skilled people. 105 of the 129 municipalities in these two provinces have an employment rate of highly-skilled people above 90%. It is even 94.7% in the municipality of Houthulst. In the Flemish Region, 217 municipalities show an employment rate of people with a higher education diploma of over 90%.
In Wallonia, 36 municipalities have an employment rate of highly-skilled people above 90%. Vaux-sur-Sûre registers the highest rate with 92.9%.
Employment rate of highly-skilled people aged 25-64 - Top 5 municipalities per region
| Brussels-Capital Region | Flemish Region | Walloon Region | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auderghem | 83.1% | Herstappe | 100.0% | Vaux-sur-Sûre | 92.9% |
| Berchem-Sainte-Agathe | 80.8% | Houthulst | 94.7% | Hamois | 92.4% |
| Watermael-Boitsfort | 80.7% | Sint-Lievens-Houtem | 94.5% | Héron | 91.9% |
| Woluwe-Saint-Pierre | 80.4% | Langemark-Poelkapelle | 94.4% | Léglise | 91.9% |
| Jette | 80.1% | Zonnebeke | 94.2% | Dalhem | 91.7% |
[1] Due to the very small number of inhabitants in Herstappe, the results for this municipality are not taken into account.
The activity rate of people aged 15-64 is the share of the labour force in relation to the working age population (15 to 64 years old).
On 1 January 2021, 73% of people aged 15-64 in Belgium were economically active, i.e. employed or unemployed. This activity rate varies according to the place of residence. With an activity rate of 66.5%, the Brussels-Capital Region has the lowest share of economically active population, followed by Wallonia with 70.7% and finally Flanders with 75.6%.
Even if the methodology used for the construction of the labour market variables differs between 2011 and 2021, in particular in terms of identification of the unemployed and the employed, the geographical breakdown remains similar. As in 2011, some areas stand out with a higher activity rate: West Flanders (excluding the coast), the west of East Flanders, the east of the province of Liège, the north of the province of Antwerp and most municipalities around Brussels. Conversely, the lowest activity rates are mainly observed in big cities that stand out from other municipalities in their respective provinces: Charleroi (63.6%), Mons (66.2%), Liège (66.7%), Namur (69.9%), Arlon (70.1%), but also Antwerp (71.3%). Outside the Brussels-Capital Region, Hainaut remains the province with the lowest activity rate.
The employment rate of people aged 15-64 is the share of employed people in relation to the working age population (15 to 64 years old).
For the whole country, 66.7% of the working age population was employed on 1 January 2021. The employment rate reaches 71.4% in Flanders, versus 62.2% in Wallonia and 55.7% in the Brussels-Capital Region. Despite a higher employment rate in the north than in the south of Belgium, as in 2011, the German-speaking community stands out from the rest of the Walloon Region with higher rates within the municipalities along the German border (Butgenbach, Bullange, Amblève and Saint-Vith) as well as the municipalities in the north of the province of Liège (Voeren, Dalhem and Thimister-Clermont). As in 2011, within the regions themselves, changes are smaller in Flanders than in Wallonia. In the Flemish Region, the employment rate of people aged 15-64 varies from 69.9% (province of Antwerp) to 73% (province of West Flanders), while in the Walloon region, it fluctuates between 58.9% (province of Hainaut) and 67.4% (province of Walloon Brabant).
The employment rate of people aged 20-64 is the share of the employed population in relation to the population aged 20-64.
While the employment rate of people aged 20-64 amounts to 71.7% in Belgium on 1 January 2021, it only reaches 59.9% in the Brussels-Capital Region. Even if the employment rate varies less in this region, it is higher in the municipalities in the south and the east of the Brussels-Capital Region. In the Flemish Region, the employment rate of the 20-64 age group reaches 76.5% versus 67.2% in the Walloon Region. In the Brussels periphery, the provinces of Flemish and Walloon Brabant have one of the highest employment rates in their respective region. Within these regions, there are differences between the western and eastern municipalities. West Flanders is the province with the highest employment rate in the country, followed by Flemish Brabant and East Flanders, while the provinces of Limburg and Antwerp show rates that are closer to those of Walloon provinces. Conversely, in Wallonia, the employment rate is the highest in the east and the province of Hainaut has the lowest employment rate in Belgium after the Brussels-Capital Region. Despite the few municipalities with the highest employment rates in the Walloon Region, the province of Liège maintains a low employment rate compared to its neighbouring provinces of Namur and Luxembourg. Indeed, Liège is one of the 10 municipalities with the lowest employment rate in Belgium.
The unemployment rate is the percentage of unemployed persons in the comparable active population.
In Belgium, the unemployment rate reaches 8.6% on 1 January 2021. It is not evenly distributed across the different regions of the country, varying from 5.5% in the Flemish Region to 16.3% in the Brussels-Capital Region. In the Walloon Region, it is estimated at 12.1%. However, this regional difference is smaller than in 2011. At intra-regional level, the variations are more significant within the Walloon Region, from 13.9% in the province of Hainaut to 8% in the province of Luxembourg, than in the Flemish Region where it varies from 6.8% in the province of Antwerp to 4.6% in the provinces of Flemish Brabant and West Flanders.
In Wallonia, as in 2011, the Sambre-Meuse line and the municipalities along the French borders are distinguished by a higher unemployment rate, while a few municipalities in the south of the province of Luxembourg (Vaux-sur-Sûre, Léglise, Attert and Etalle) as well as in the east of the province of Liège (Butgenbach, Bullange, Amblève, Saint-Vith and Burg-Reuland) show very low unemployment rates. In Flanders, the municipalities of Antwerp, Turnhout, Ostend and Blankenberge stand out from the other municipalities with a higher unemployment rate. In general, we observe a higher unemployment rate in the big cities: Liège (22%), Charleroi (21%), Mons (16.9%), Namur (14%), Antwerp (11.6%), Ghent (8.2%) and Bruges (5%) show one of the highest unemployment rate in their respective province.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, the southern and eastern municipalities have a lower unemployment rate.
The Census 2021 in a nutshell
The Census 2021 is a snapshot of the population living in Belgium on 1 January 2021. It provides a wide range of figures on housing and demographic, socio-economic and educational characteristics of the citizens. The objective of the Census is twofold: to comply with the European regulation[1] and to produce statistics to address national specific needs (public services, international organizations, researchers, enterprises and private individuals).
Previously based on an exhaustive survey of all citizens, since 2011 the Census has been based exclusively on the use of administrative databases.
Definitions
The various statistical units
Population
The population taken into account for the Census 2021 is the residential population, as registered in the National Register of Natural Persons (RNPP) on 1 January 2021. The Belgian population includes Belgians and non-Belgians who have been allowed or authorised to settle or to stay in Belgium but does not include non-Belgians living on the territory for less than three months, asylum seekers and non-Belgians in an illegal situation[2].
Private households
This group includes people living alone in a dwelling and groups of several people living in the same dwelling and providing themselves with essentials for living.
Family nuclei
A family nucleus is defined as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child.
Living quarters
Living quarters refer to all quarters used as the usual residence of one or several persons.
Conventional dwellings
Conventional dwellings are separate units (surrounded by walls and covered by a roof) that are independent (with a direct access from the street or a staircase, passage) and designed to be used as a permanent dwelling.
Occupied conventional dwellings
Occupied conventional dwellings are conventional dwellings used as the usual residence of one or several private households.
Variables and their description
Sex
This variable is used to distinguish men from women.
Age
The age reached in completed years of age on 1 January 2021.
Place of usual residence
The place of residence is that registered in the National Register on 1 January 2021. So this is the place of legal residence.
The Belgian municipalities have changed between 2011 and 2021. In the comparisons shown on this website, the figures for 2011 are broken down according to the municipalities of 2021.
Locality
A locality is defined as a distinct population cluster, that is an area defined by population living in neighbouring or contiguous buildings. This area constitutes a group of buildings, none of which is separated from its nearest neighbour by more than 200 meters.
The Belgian municipalities have changed between 2011 and 2021. In the comparisons shown on this website, the figures for 2011 are broken down according to the municipalities of 2021.
Situation on the labour market
The situation on the labour market gives information on the economic activity of the population (employed, unemployed and inactive persons) during the last week of the year 2020.
Employed persons
The following persons are considered as employed :
- persons aged 15 or over and
- who either performed at least one hour of work in the last week of the year for pay or profit, in cash or in kind; or
- were temporarily absent during the reference period from a job to which they maintained a formal attachment .
Unemployed
The unemployed comprise:
- persons aged 15 years or over who were:
- without work , that is, were not in wage employment or self-employment during the reference week; and
- currently available for work , that is, were available for wage employment or self-employment during the reference week and for two weeks after that; and
- actively seeking work , that is, had taken specific steps to seek wage employment or self-employment within four weeks ending with the reference week.
Pension or capital income recipients
Recipients of pension or capital income should be assigned to the Pension or capital income recipients category only if they
- have attained the national minimum age for economic activity ( 15 years or over ); and
- are outside of the labour force, and
- receive a pension and/or capital income.
Even if a formal link with their enterprise is maintained, people in early retirement are considered as retired, as they do not intend to return to work.
Students
Students comprise all persons attending school who:
- have attained the national minimum age for economic activity ( 15 years or over ); and
- are outside of the labour force, and
- are not recipients of a pension or of capital income.
Labour force
The “labour force” comprises all persons who fulfil the requirements for inclusion among the employed or the unemployed during the reference week.
Employed population
The employed population includes all employed persons during the reference week.
Inactive population
The inactive population includes all persons who were neither employed nor unemployed during the reference week. So, people under 15, the retired, capital income recipients, students and other inactive persons, such as housewives/househusbands, people incapacitated for work, people receiving a social integration allowance, etc. are considered to be outside the labour force, as long as they are not in paid employment, are not looking for work or are not immediately available for work.
Employment characteristics
Persons aged 15 and over who were employed during the reference week are classified according to the situation in the occupation of their last job. People with more than one job are classified according to their main activity, which is determined based on the income received and then the time spent on the job (percentage of hours worked compared to a full-time worker or average number of hours worked).
Remark
The comparison with the previous Census requires some caution: this publication is based on the Belgian population and the Census 2011 has as reference the European definition of the population.
Information on the difference between the Belgian population and the Census 2011 population.
Metadata
[1] COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2017/543 of 22 March 2017 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on population and housing censuses as regards the technical specifications of the topics and of their breakdowns.
[2] Information on the difference between the Belgian population and the Census 2011 population.