About 1 in 4 Ukrainians registered with the VDAB is working
Of the 14.779 Ukrainian refugees registered with the VDAB, 45 percent (6.599) have already worked and 27 percent (4.045) are still working. Some argue that more should be done to guide them into work, inter alia encouraging language learning in the workplace.
Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation, Work, Social Economy and Agriculture Jo Brouns (CD&V) has responded to a parliamentary question from Flemish Member of Parliament for the N-VA, Maaike De Vreese.
During this exchange, it was noted that, according to the figures provided by Statbel, there were 22.144 Ukrainians of working age in Flanders at the end of September 2023. Of the 14.779 Ukrainians registered with the VDAB, 27% are working.
Given this employment rate, Maaike De Vreese called on Minister Brouns to take additional measures to ensure that all Ukrainians are registered with the VDAB and to encourage local authorities and Public Centres for Social Welfare to step up efforts to guide them toward a job.
A recently published study "Mass influx of people from Ukraine: social entitlements and access to the labour market" highlighted that: "Overall, a low share of Ukrainian displaced persons is active on the Belgian labour market. The language barrier is certainly one of the largest challenges in this regard."
As regards this "language barrier", Member of Parliament Maaike De Vreese asks to put extra efforts into language lessons and language coaching in the workplace.
For further information, please read this press release (in English) or this press release (in Dutch).