Sales assistant is the most common occupation
On the Belgian labour market, shop sales assistant is the most common occupation: according to new figures from Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 150,000 people say they do that job. 65% of shop sales assistants are women.
Typical female occupations include:
- Medical secretaries
- Early childhood teacher
- Child care workers
- Home-based personal care workers
- Domestic cleaners and helpers
- Secretaries (general)
- Health care assistants
- Nursing associate professionals
Typical male occupations include:
- Building and related electricians
- Carpenters and joiners
- Motor vehicle mechanics and repairers
- Plumbers
- Heavy truck and lorry drivers
- Agricultural and industrial machinery mechanics and repairers
- Lifting truck operators
It should be noted that all male occupations are rather technical, while female occupations are mainly caring jobs.
Remark
In 2024, we carried out a number of thorough quality checks for a number of occupational codes, as a result of which various figures from before 2024 are not entirely comparable with the figures for 2024. In 2025, these quality checks continued, causing the number of people in general administrative roles to fall even further (see note).
| Share of women compared to all employed people, in % of the total | 2025 | Share of men compared to all employed people, in % of the total | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women - all occupations | 47.2% | Men - all occupations | 52.8% |
| Dental assistants and therapists | 98.4% | Floor layers and tile setters | > 99% |
| Medical assistants | 97.6% | Metal processing plant operators | > 99% |
| Audiologists and speech therapists | 97.4% | Building and related electricians | > 99% |
| Beauticians and related workers | 97.3% | Roofers | > 99% |
| Midwifery professionals | 96.9% | Mechanical engineering technicians | > 99% |
| Early childhood educators | 96.1% | Earthmoving and related plant operators | 98,8% |
| Child care workers | 93.8% | Bricklayers and related workers | 98,8% |
| Home-based personal care workers | 93.7% | Carpenters and joiners | 98,8% |
| Domestic cleaners and helpers | 91.5% | Motor vehicle mechanics and repairers | 98.7% |
| Secretaries (general) | 88.8% | Plumbers and pipe fitters | 98.7% |
| Health care assistants | 88.4% | Crane, hoist and related plant operators | 98.3% |
| Nursing and midwifery professionals | 87.8% | Heavy truck and lorry drivers | 97.9% |
| Personnel clerks | 83.9% | Electrical mechanics and fitters | 97.9% |
| Primary school teachers | 83.4% | Electrical engineers | 97.9% |
| Teachers' aides | 83.2% | Agricultural and industrial machinery mechanics and repairers | 97.8% |
| Nursing professionals | 83.2% | Sheet-metal workers | 96.2% |
| Cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments | 80.4% | Garbage and recycling collectors | 95.8% |
| Teaching professionals not elsewhere classified | 80.0% | Information and communications technology installers and servicers | 95.7% |
| Payroll clerks | 79.3% | Lifting truck operators | 95.4% |
| Administrative and executive secretaries | 79.1% | Metal working machine tool setters and operators | 95.4% |
Labour force survey (LFS)
Purpose and short description
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a socio-economic household sample survey. Its main objective is to classify the working age population (15 and older) into three groups (employed, unemployed and inactive persons) and to provide descriptive and explanatory data on every category. This survey is also carried out in the other EU Member States and is coordinated by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In Belgium, the LFS is organised by Statbel. The objective is to obtain comparable information at European level, in particular as regards employment and unemployment rates as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO), but also to collect and disseminate data that are otherwise not available, for example about the mobility of workers, the reasons for working part-time, the various forms of part-time employment, the occupation, the educational level of the working age population, ... .
Survey population
Members of private households aged 15 or older.
Sample frame
Demographic data from the National Register.
Data collection method and sample size
Data are collected through face-to-face interviews. Since 2017, there have been three (shorter) follow-up surveys to which households respond online or by telephone.
Households with only inactive persons older than 64 can also be interviewed by telephone.
Every year, around 47,000 households receive a letter asking them to take part in this survey.
Response rate
The response rate is above 75%.
Periodicity
Quarterly
Release calendar
Results availability: around 3 months after the end of the reference period.
Forms
- Labour Force Survey 2020 (PDF, 541 Kb)
- Labour Force Survey 2021 (PDF, 1 Mb)
Definitions
Unemployed (ILO): According to the criteria of the International Labour Office, the unemployed include all people aged 15 years and over who: a) were without work during the reference week b) were available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment within two weeks after the reference week c) were actively seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps during the last four weeks including the reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment, or who had found a job to start within a maximum period of three months.
Employed population (ILO): The employed comprise all people aged 15 and over who during the reference week performed some work for at least one hour for wage or salary, or for profit, or who had a job but were temporarily absent. For example, one can be temporarily absent for holidays, illness, technical or economic reasons (temporary unemployment),....Family workers are also included in the category ‘employed’. The employed are divided into three groups according to their professional status:
Employees: Employees comprise all persons aged 15 and over who during the reference period performed some work (with or without a formal contract) for at least one hour for wage or salary, or who were temporarily not at work during the reference period (because of illness, maternity leave, holidays, social conflict, weather conditions or other reasons) and had a formal attachment to their job.
Non-employees: Non-employees comprise all persons who do not work for an employer and who during the reference week performed some work for at least one hour for profit or who were temporarily not at work during the reference period. This includes self-employed people (without employees) and employers (with employees) and unpaid workers.
Labour force: The labour force or economically active population (15 years and older) consists of people with an occupation (persons employed) and the unemployed.
Unemployment rate: The unemployment rate represents the share of unemployed people in the labour force (employed + unemployed) aged 15 to 64.
Employment rate: The employment rate represents the share of employed people in a specific age group (15-64 years old, 20-64 years old,...).
Economic activity rate: The economic activity rate represents the share of the labour force (employed and unemployed) in the population aged 15 to 64.
Education level (3 classes): Low-skilled people are people who have at most a diploma of lower secondary education. Medium-skilled people are people who obtained a diploma of upper secondary education but not of higher education. Highly-skilled people have a diploma of higher education.
Metadata
Survey methodology
- Modifications to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in 2021
- LFS: Methodological improvements to the Labour Force Survey 2017 (PDF, 99 Kb)
- LFS: Presentation of the survey until 2016 (NL-FR)
- LFS: Presentation of the survey from 2017 (NL-FR)