The Flemish public transport company De Lijn is looking for an additional 128 bus drivers and 15 technical staff to help keep its services running in Flemish Brabant. Finding suitable staff is proving particularly difficult in the areas peripheral to Brussels and in the Leuven area. This is because in these areas demand for drivers and mechanics is particularly high, while low unemployment means that the availability of those will the necessary skills is low.
De Lijn hopes to recruit 128 drivers to keep its services running in Flemish Brabant
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In the area to the east of Brussels, around Zaventem Airport, De Lijn is finding it especially difficult to find staff. As a result, the Flemish public transport company is among a host of companies represented at Brussel Airport’s Job Fair.
De Lijn’s spokesman Frederik Wittock told VRT News that “Around Zaventem airport the shortage has to do with competition for people with similar skills. People with a technical background, or people that like working in transport are exactly the people we are looking for ourselves”.
Looking further afield
In the Leuven area too, De Lijn is having difficulty finding staff. Here a different reason is at play. “In Leuven, the employment rate is very high. In other words, many people there already have a job. This is why we are having to look further afield to Diest and Aarschot in order to find people that want to come and work in Leuven.”
Those that are interested don’t need any specific qualifications, although a knowledge of Dutch is required in order to be able to communicate with passengers and colleagues.
“Above all drivers should enjoy dealing with people, both colleagues and passengers. You will need some technical skills to drive a big vehicle and be prepared to take on a lot of responsibility for your passengers. But these are things that we will teach you. From day 1, you will be paid during a six-week training course following which you will be a fully-fledged De Lijn driver”, Frederik Wittock said.