Wave of expat Polish builders expected

7 August 2006

BRUSSELS — The Belgian construction industry has confirmed it will employ in the autumn months an additional several thousand foreign workers.

The chief of the Construction Confederation, Marc Dillen, made the statement on Saturday to Flemish newspaper ‘De Morgen’.

Primarily Polish workers are expected to be employed following federal government regulations in June making it easier for them to work in Belgium.

Many Polish workers are already employed illegally in Belgium.

But under the new regulations, workers from the new EU member states who want to fill chronic work shortages in Belgium will be given a work permit within four days of submitting their application.

The fact that the building industry needs to take on foreign workers is surprising because the Flemish jobs agency VDAB has registered 16,000 unemployed builders.

But Dillen said many of these people were not well trained and are poorly motivated. He said the building industry is often their second or third choice.

Subject: Belgian news