It is vital for people to finish their training in order to “see its positive impact.”
That is one of the conclusions of a new study into new labour reforms coming into effect in Belgium
The reforms, due to start in January 2026, impact “not only recipients of unemployment benefits, but also all of the institutions which support them in their search for work.”
The new issue of Brussels Studies by Catherine Smith, an expert in the field, seeks to summarise the key findings of a study first carried out by Bruxelles Formation in 2023.
The study is particularly relevant now, given the looming introduction of the reforms.
The analysis by Catherine Smith says, “Skills training is part of the array of measures used to support this change.
“They provide an opportunity to enhance knowledge which can be useful on the job market, or to train for professions in short supply.”
It asks what influence do these training courses have on helping people get back to work and if job seekers benefit equally.
The study combined statistics and data from various organisations, including Actiris, Bruxelles Formation, ONSS and INASTI.
It tracked a total of 122,373 unemployed job seekers in Brussels over a 4-year period, 2,912 of whom entered skills training in the 18 months after registering as jobless
Catherine Smith, in her assessment, goes on to state that the effect of personal characteristics such as age, gender, level of education and place of residence was statistically neutralised in order to ensure that the effect of skills training was observed.
“After noting a retention effect (i.e. a reduction in job searches due to training), the results show the positive impact of skills training on access to employment after the training. This impact increases with the length of unemployment prior to training, and is more pronounced for women, job seekers with non-recognised foreign qualifications and non-EU nationals.”
According to the author, “these results confirm the importance of skills training in public employment policies.”
She adds, “Continuity of training pathways is also a key factor in allowing a maximum number of people to access employment. As the retention effect has a (temporary) negative impact, it is important for people to finish their training in order to see its positive impact.”
The full article is here: https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/8727
Further info on Brussels Studies: https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/
