BRUSSELS – Older Belgian workers stay in the same job too long and have a poor ability to adapt to new employment opportunities, it was suggested on Wednesday.

Just three percent of employees aged 55 to 64 have been in their existing job for less than two years, compared to 10 percent in Britain and Scandinavia.

Some commentators say that’s why Belgium has far fewer citizens still in employment in their later years than other European countries.

Only 28.1 percent of 55-64-year-old Belgians work, whereas the EU average is 41.5 percent and the European goal for 2010 is 50 percent.

“Professional mobility is the guarantee of a larger ability to adapt to fluctuations and changes in the work market,” said a spokesman for Belgium’s national employment council.

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Belgian news