Young People Endangered Species

14 February 2007

BRUSSELS — The number of people aged 15 to 30 has decreased by 100 thousand in the past ten years. The ageing of the workforce has become reality, De Standaard writes.

A new research project conducted by the National Employment Service (Rijksdienst voor Arbeidsvoorziening, RVA) has shown that the number of residents aged15 to 30 has gone down from 2.025 million in 1996 to 1.916 million in 2005. That is a decrease of 5.8 percent.

The statistics reveal that the Belgian society is ageing. One of the factors is the low birth rate in the 1970s and 1980s.

Until now most thought the real problem would not start until around 2015 when the baby-boomers retire, but the new data show that the ageing of the population is happening more rapidly. Recruiting new personnel, especially for the unskilled positions will become increasingly difficult.

Subject: Belgian news