In 2023 just over 65,000 Brussels residents made the daily commute to Flanders to work. The figure is up 9,000 on the previous year. That’s an increase of a whopping 16.5 per cent on the year. The growth was much stronger than the 5-year average of 5 per cent. The figures come from a labour market analysis carried out jointly by the Brussels-based employment agency Actiris and its Flemish counterpart, the VDAB. The analysis explored interregional labour mobility from Brussels to Flanders.
About 75 per cent of these Brussels commuters work in the neighbouring province of Flemish Brabant. The Federal Planning Bureau predicts that commuter figures will rise further in the period 2024-2029. In 2024 and 2025, the increase in the number of Brussels residents commuting to Flanders is expected to represent an additional 1,700 people per year, admittedly a more limited increase than in the past couple of years. In the period 2026-2029, a stronger increase in the number of commuters heading for Flanders is expected, with 2,300 Brussels residents joining the commute per year. The main sectors in which Brussels commuters in Flanders work are trade, scientific and technical activities, transport and storage.
Who are the Brussels residents working in Flanders?
Interestingly, in 2023, three quarters of Brussels residents working in Flanders were men. Since 2018, the proportion of women among commuters has even dropped from 33 per cent to 25 per cent. As one of the explanations for this big difference, Brussels government employment agency Actiris sees the greater pressure on women to work part-time due to family commitments. That discourages long commutes.
Just over half of all Brussels commuters heading for Flanders in 2023 were highly skilled, whereas five years ago the figure was still only 44 per cent. When broken down by origin (Belgian, EU or non-EU), people with non-EU origins formed the largest group among Brussels commuters heading for Flanders (48 per cent). Brussels residents working in Flanders mainly hold open-ended contracts (88 per cent).