On 28 January 2026 the Flemish Government signed a new ‘Iedereen nodig, iedereen mee’ employment pact with employer federations (Voka, UNIZO) and trade unions (ACV, ACLVB). The agreement frees up €100 million over two years to raise the region’s employment rate to 80 %, a goal viewed as critical to temper wage inflation and sustain economic growth.
Core measures include faster, more personalised VDAB job-seeker coaching, payroll tax reductions for companies hiring individuals inactive for over two years, and an expanded training premium for candidates pursuing ‘bottleneck’ occupations. Notably for global-mobility professionals, the fourth pillar acknowledges that “targeted labour migration remains necessary” once local and inter-regional talent pools are exhausted. The pact therefore pledges streamlined pathways for highly skilled non-EU nationals and for profiles on the region’s shortage-occupation list.
Companies that need to relocate talent swiftly into Belgium don’t have to navigate the single-permit maze alone. Online facilitator VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers step-by-step assistance with Belgian work and residence authorisations, keeps track of evolving salary thresholds, and can pre-screen applications before submission to Flemish and federal authorities—helping HR teams accelerate onboarding while boosting approval predictability.
![Flemish Government and Social Partners Seal Employment Pact Aimed at Filling Labour Gaps Through Training and Targeted Migration]()
Employers have lobbied for clearer single-permit processing and predictability in salary thresholds. Although the pact does not itself change permit rules, social-affairs minister Jo Brouns said Flanders will work with the federal level to reduce work-authorisation processing to an average of 30 days by 2027 and will consider selective ‘fast-lane’ procedures for strategic sectors such as biotech and semiconductors.
For multinationals with Belgian entities, the pact offers two immediate takeaways: (1) budget for generous training incentives that can offset onboarding costs for assignees’ accompanying spouses, and (2) track forthcoming updates to the shortage-occupation list—roles added to the list will enable smoother hiring of third-country nationals without lengthy labour-market tests.
Critics argue the pact lacks concrete targets on housing and integration support for incoming workers, suggesting these issues will return to the political agenda ahead of the 2026 municipal elections.
Core measures include faster, more personalised VDAB job-seeker coaching, payroll tax reductions for companies hiring individuals inactive for over two years, and an expanded training premium for candidates pursuing ‘bottleneck’ occupations. Notably for global-mobility professionals, the fourth pillar acknowledges that “targeted labour migration remains necessary” once local and inter-regional talent pools are exhausted. The pact therefore pledges streamlined pathways for highly skilled non-EU nationals and for profiles on the region’s shortage-occupation list.
Companies that need to relocate talent swiftly into Belgium don’t have to navigate the single-permit maze alone. Online facilitator VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers step-by-step assistance with Belgian work and residence authorisations, keeps track of evolving salary thresholds, and can pre-screen applications before submission to Flemish and federal authorities—helping HR teams accelerate onboarding while boosting approval predictability.
Employers have lobbied for clearer single-permit processing and predictability in salary thresholds. Although the pact does not itself change permit rules, social-affairs minister Jo Brouns said Flanders will work with the federal level to reduce work-authorisation processing to an average of 30 days by 2027 and will consider selective ‘fast-lane’ procedures for strategic sectors such as biotech and semiconductors.
For multinationals with Belgian entities, the pact offers two immediate takeaways: (1) budget for generous training incentives that can offset onboarding costs for assignees’ accompanying spouses, and (2) track forthcoming updates to the shortage-occupation list—roles added to the list will enable smoother hiring of third-country nationals without lengthy labour-market tests.
Critics argue the pact lacks concrete targets on housing and integration support for incoming workers, suggesting these issues will return to the political agenda ahead of the 2026 municipal elections.
