2023-10-01 04:00:00
Flanders is trying to attract French speakers to respond to the labor shortage. There are currently 101,000 working in Flanders. Problem: the language barrier always seems to be a hindrance. However, speaking Flemish is not necessarily essential.
45,000 Walloons and 56,000 Brussels residents currently work in Flanders. For several months, Apollinaire has been one of these people. He lives in Hannut and got a job as a bus driver, across the language border in Tienen. He is not bilingual, he only has some knowledge of Dutch and initially, this new job was a source of anxiety: “I take this fear as a challenge that I must meet at all costs.” The Hannutois didn’t even look in Wallonia. The region is however affected by a shortage of drivers, just like Flanders. He was absolutely keen to learn the language: “I tell myself that I will work and at the same time learn Dutch. I still have difficulty understanding and making myself understood, but I remain hopeful.”
Flanders is looking for profiles like that of Apollinaire. The VDAB, the Flemish employment office, sent 117,000 vacant positions last year to its Walloon counterpart, Forem. Even with gaps in Dutch, the Walloon was directly recruited. However, the language barrier remains present. There are only three French speakers in this company located 5 kilometers from the border. “We require all our drivers to speak Flemish, but we also give courses. There are always people who know how to express themselves in the other language, but there are many who don’t know it or no longer know it, it’s still a big handicap“, recognizes Olivier Van Mullem, general manager of a transport company.
“We publish our vacancies in two languages”
Many Flemish companies are located near the linguistic border, particularly on the outskirts of Brussels. “It’s a challenge, I learned on the job and I’m learning every day“, says Guiseppe, an Athois who works in a Dutch-speaking handling company located on the outskirts of Brussels. In 20 years, the number of French speakers working on the other side of the linguistic border has increased by 31%.
In recent months, 40,000 job offers have been published on the outskirts of Brussels. French speakers are essential for Flemish businesses. “We publish our vacancies in two languages and see who comes forward. Often, they are French speakers. For us, it doesn’t matter the origin or the language, it’s the attitude that counts. The spirit of work is much more important“, says Anne Lenaerts, co-owner of a handling company.
Flanders is trying to attract French speakers because job offers remain vacant for months. The unemployment rate in the north of the country is 3.3% compared to 7.9% in Wallonia and 11.3% in Brussels according to Statbel. The available workforce is therefore, theoretically, greater on the French-speaking side. “Drivers and movers are professions in shortage. Sales and cleaning are sectors where we are looking for a lot of labor. The health sector in Flanders also has many needs“, says Sandra Tuijbens, head of the transport and logistics sector.
The authorities want to increase interregional mobility. To encourage job seekers to apply in areas with a labor shortage, regardless of language.
large format French speakers in Flanders
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