Almost half of the job vacancies that have been published in Flanders this year do not require a degree or extensive professional experience. A recent survey carried out by the HR services provider Acerta says that this percentage has never been higher. The survey also reveals that the number of job vacancies in Flanders is at a record level.
Looking for a job? More and more jobs in Flanders require no degree or experience
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Acerta’s figures come from the Flemish employment and vocational training service VDAB. Analysing VDAB's figures Acerta concludes that the number of vacancies that require no experience has been increasing since 2016.
In 2016 around one third of vacancies required neither experience nor a higher education qualification. Now this is the case with around half of the vacancies on VDAB’s books.
Not only a shortage of skilled workers
One of the main reasons for this development is that employers are finding it ever more difficult to find staff and this is not just due to the shortage of skilled labour. Acerta’s Hannelore van Meldert told VRT News that “It is more important for employers to have a larger pool of applicants. These days it's important to select people according to their skill set. Those with multiple skills can then be deployed in multiple jobs within an organisation.”
Meanwhile, employers are also increasingly moving away from making salaries dependent on an employee’s length of service in a particular field or their level of academic attainment or vocational training Ms Van Meldert said. Nevertheless, she added that “It's still a good idea to have a degree.”