On average, an employee who worked full-time in 2020 earned 3,832 euros gross per month. Moreover, the pay gap between full-time employed women and men has been almost completely eliminated. In the Walloon region, women even earn more than men on average. This is what emerged from new results of Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, based on a survey on earnings among more than 130,000 employees of Belgian companies.

The gender pay gap for full-time employees falls sharply from 4.1% in 2019 to 0.4% in 2020. Moreover, for the first time, Belgium has a region where women earn, on average, more than men. In Wallonia, the average male employee earns 3,551 euros, while his female colleague earns 3,573 euros. This results in a small, negative pay gap of -0.6%. In Flanders, the gender pay gap is still 1.1% and in Brussels, men earn 5.4% more than women.

The median wage is 3,550 euros. This means that 50% of employees earn a maximum of 3,550 euros, while the other half earn a higher salary. The largest group, 69% of all employees, earns an amount between 2,000 euros and 4,250 euros gross per month. 10% of all employees earn less than 2,334 euros gross on a monthly basis. At the other end of the spectrum, 10% of employees earn more than 5,991 euros gross.

The petrochemical sector is the best paid sector, while wages in the ‘horeca sector’ are the lowest. People who work in Brussels generally earn more than in other regions. Wages are lowest in the province of Luxembourg.

Diploma and profession also play an important role. Those with a master's degree earn 47% more than the average Belgian. People who left school without a diploma receive a salary that is 26% below the national average. Managing directors and chief executives earn 80% more than the average employee, while waiters and bartenders receive the lowest wages (36% below the national average).

Remark: wages and salaries mentioned in this publication always refer to gross monthly wages. This wage concept includes the periodic premiums that are paid out each payment period. Examples include premiums for night or weekend shifts. Premiums that are only paid exceptionally, such as thirteenth-month pay or double holiday pay, are not included in this concept.

Furthermore, the analysis remains limited to full-time employees from enterprises with at least ten employees. Certain sectors, such as agriculture, fishery, public administration, education, healthcare and other personal service activities are not included in this study. The reference period for all data is October 2020.