More and more Belgians are working side jobs under the flexi-job status introduced 10 years ago. Over-65s in particular are taking advantage of the measure: their number increased by more than half last year, and they earn a lot more than their younger colleagues, according to annual figures released by the National Social Security Office (NSSO) on Thursday.
The flexi-job system is a special form of part-time employment that allows pensioners or workers with a main job of at least 4/5 time to earn extra income tax-free and without social security deductions.
Introduced in 2015 to tackle labour shortages, it enables employers in certain sectors – originally hospitality and retail, and now others including healthcare and education – to hire staff more flexibly.
System expanded
Last year, 229,423 Belgians had flexi jobs, almost a fifth (19.1 per cent) more than in 2023. The increase is partly explained by the expansion of the system to new sectors, says the NSSO.
For example, flexi-jobs became possible last year in garages, agriculture and horticulture, with funeral directors, for bus drivers and in education and childcare. Someone with a flexi-job worked an average of 219.1 hours in 2024, earning an average of 3,342.4 euros.
Flexi-jobs are especially popular among 25- to 39-year-olds – they number almost 98,000 – but the biggest increase last year was among the over-65s. That group now numbers just over 34,700, or an increase of more than half (52.6 per cent) from 2023.
Hospitality and logistics
Pensioners are also working more via flexi-jobs. They worked an average of 404.9 hours in 2024, compared to 186 hours for non-retirees. This results in more pay: an average of 6,426.5 euros for a pensioner against 2,792.7 euros for other groups.
The most popular sector is hospitality. For under-50s, the sector accounts for 45 per cent of flexi-jobs. In the newest flexi sectors, over-65s work mainly in transport and logistics – mostly as bus and car drivers – and at funeral directors.
Among the over-65s, more men than women hold flexi jobs, while the reverse is true in all other age categories. Overall, slightly more women (52.3 per cent) than men have a flexi job.
Source – https://www.belganewsagency.eu/more-people-working-flexi-jobs-especially-over-65s