11% more jobseekers registered with VDAB than there were a year ago
New figures released by the Flemish Employment and Vocational Training Service VDAB show that at the end of last month it had 214,239 jobseekers that were without work on its books. This is a rise of 11% on the number of people that were registered with VDAB at the end of April 2023.
At the end of last month, 108,720 jobseekers claiming unemployment benefit were registered with VDAB. This is just over half the total number of jobseekers that VDAB has on its books. Although the number of jobseekers on unemployment benefit is up 2% on the end of April last year it has been falling for several months.
In addition to those on unemployment benefit VDAB also has 7,896 young people enrolled in vocational training courses to improve their chances of finding work. This is 4% of the total number of jobseekers.
93,845 of those on the VDAB’s books are people on “Living Wage” benefit, sickness benefit or no benefit at all. These are people that previously were neither working nor looking for work, but now wish to enter the labour market.