BRUSSELS – One in three Belgian employers cannot find suitable personnel. Some 36 percent in fact are having difficulty finding suitable staff, according to a survey by employment company Manpower. That is however an improvement compared to last year, when 42 percent were having difficulty finding qualified people.

Philippe Lacroix, Managing Director of Manpower Belgium, says it is a “modest improvement.” “We have also noticed in practice that people are willing to change jobs once again,” Lacroix says. “This increased mobility on the labour market could be the result of the improving economy.”

The study shows that Belgium is one of the most difficult countries in which to find suitable workers. Only in France (40 percent) and Switzerland (37 percent) do employers have more difficulty finding people for jobs.

The situation is most favourable in the Netherlands: only 17 percent of employers say they have trouble filling positions.

The survey indicates that skilled labourers (electricians, welders, masons) are the hardest to find in Belgium, followed by technicians and drivers. People in these professions were also the scarcest last year.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news