More than one adult in three participated in education or training in 2024
Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, publishes two indicators measuring lifelong learning among people aged 25-64, based on the Labour Force Survey. Last year, on average, more than one in three 25-64-year-olds received training: 35.5%. If we only look at the percentage of participation in training the month before the survey, then the figure is 14.9%.
The survey examines whether a person has received training in the past four weeks or in the past year. By “training” we mean here all formal and non-formal education and training. Formal education is education that is recognised by the ministries of education and usually leads to a diploma or certificate such as a master's degree or a training course in adult education. Non-formal education is education outside this context but still organised in a structured way, e.g. a course on health organised by the health insurance fund or a webinar on time management organised by a self-employed. Self-study and informal learning are not included. These figures have been available for Belgium since 2005. However, due to a change in the questionnaire on non-formal learning, the figures for 2024 cannot simply be compared with those of previous years Weitere Informationen (more info).
In an extensive note, Statbel goes into more detail about the break in time series of lifelong learning.
With one in three 25-64-year-olds, Belgium is still far below the European goal formulated in the context of the European Education Area [1] in early 2021: 47% of adults (aged 25-64) should have participated in education and training in the last year by 2025. We took a serious step forward last year, also thanks to the more detailed questionnaire.
(a) Break in the results following a reform of the Labour Force Survey.
(b) Break in the results in 2021 due to the revision of the questionnaire and the change in the ILO definitions of unemployment and employment.
(c) Break in the results in 2024 due to an extension of the questions on non-formal learning.
A breakdown into different groups shows that slightly more women participate in lifelong learning (36.0% vs 35.1%). There are clear differences by level of education: 12.3% of those with at most a diploma of primary education participated in training, compared to 25.9% of those with a diploma of upper secondary education. 54.3% of those with a higher education diploma still participate in education and training. Due to the broadening of the questions on non-formal learning, lifelong learning is increasing sharply in Flanders, which becomes the region with the highest percentage of lifelong learning: 38.7%. The figure is 35.8% in the Brussels-Capital Region and 29.6% in the Walloon Region. The propensity for lifelong learning decreases with age: 43.2% of 25-34-year-olds participated in training, versus 23.5% of 55-64-year-olds.
Health also plays a major role in training participation: 42.9% of people in very good health participate in education and training, versus only 11.2% to 6.8% of people in (very) poor health.
The breakdown by labour market status shows that 41.4% of employed people, 25.9% of unemployed people and only 15.7% of inactive people participate in education and training. The increase among employed people in particular is significant. Lifelong learning can help you change jobs smoothly, for example.
If we only look at the place of work, we see that people working in the Brussels-Capital Region participate most often in education and training (43.7%), about the same as in the Flemish Region (43.4%). The Walloon Region scores lower at 35.1%. People working abroad score remarkably high: 47.9% participated in a training in the past year.
We also see striking differences among sectors: in extraterritorial organisations, the financial sector, education, professional, scientific and technical activities, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply and information & communication, more than 50% participated in education and training in the past year. The four sectors with the lowest participation rate in education and training (and enough observations) are construction, wholesale and retail trade, administrative and support service activities and accommodation and food service activities, where less than 30% participated in education and training.
People with a temporary job participate more often in education and training (49.3%) than people with a permanent job (41.0%). Full-time employed people (42.4%) participate slightly more in education and training than part-time employed people (38.8%).
[1] https://education.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/education-and-training-statistics
Definitions
Employed, unemployed and inactive people
The survey is harmonised at European level. The definitions regarding employment and unemployment that are mentioned are those of the International Labour Office (ILO) to allow international comparison.
People with a job (employed people) comprise all people who during the reference week performed some work ‘for wage or salary’ or ‘for profit’ regardless of the duration (even if this was only one hour), 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’. Since 2021, people who have been temporarily unemployed for an uninterrupted period of more than three months are counted as unemployed or inactive, and no longer as employed.
The unemployed comprise all people who:
(a) during the reference week were without work, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment;
(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.
Lifelong learning
Lifelong learning is measured using the percentage of the population that attended formal or non-formal education in the last 12 months or 4 weeks.
Formal education is education that is recognised by the ministries of education and usually leads to a diploma or certificate such as a master's degree or a training course in adult education.
Non-formal education is education outside this context but still organised in a structured way, e.g. a course on health organised by the health insurance fund or a webinar on time management organised by a self-employed.
Self-study and informal learning are not included.
Level of education
The level of education is measured using a detailed questionnaire, and the people are then divided into three groups.
Low-skilled people are people who list lower secondary education as their highest level of education. Medium-skilled people are people who obtained a diploma of higher secondary education but not of higher education. High-skilled people obtained a diploma of higher education.