Ghent is experiencing a boom in job creation thanks to the technology and innovation sector, the port and the city’s many start-ups. Around 1,800 new jobs in Ghent are directly linked to foreign investment.
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Foreign investment leads to job boom in Ghent
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New figures presented to the city council show a total of over 215,000 jobs in Ghent, an increase of 30 per cent over the past 15 years. There are now 122 jobs for every 100 people of working age in the city.
Growth is levelling off slightly but remains striking. Most jobs are being created in the commercial sector, primarily services and technology. There is also steady growth in industry.
A large proportion of these jobs can be directly linked to foreign direct investment. In 2025, 41 projects were announced in Ghent, representing a total investment of over half a billion euros. Together they will create nearly 1,800 jobs, meaning Ghent is set to attract a third of all Flemish jobs funded by foreign investment.
In recent years, the new digital technology companies have provided a huge economic boost
An analysis by Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT) shows that three-quarters of the announced jobs can be directly linked to the growing technology and innovation sector, particularly in the field of start-ups and scale-ups in the digitech sector.
“It is definitely a new driver of employment in the city,” says councillor Sofie Bracke of Voor Gent. “We have always had a strong industrial base, and biotech is also historically well-established. In recent years, the new digital technology companies have provided a huge economic boost. The growth of recent years has been truly spectacular.”
Almost 1,000 jobs are set to be created in and around Ghent University’s technology park in the borough of Zwijnaarde, focusing on research and development. This is also attracting international companies and investors.
The port is also proving important for creating jobs. Ten new projects have been announced there, accounting for 700 new jobs. Foreign investment from 16 other projects is flowing into the city centre, including to the start-ups and growing technology companies emerging in and around the Wintercircus.
Ghent’s various start-ups and scale-ups now have a combined market value of €61 billion, accounting for almost 70 per cent of the Flemish market in this sector.