2023-08-22 15:17:14
The Walloon government is launching the work permit reform with a view to facilitating economic migration and combating job shortages in Wallonia.
Recently singled out by many employers and organizations such as Amcham (the United States Chamber of Commerce) or Awex for its administrative burden, the Walloon legislation surrounding the granting of work permits for foreign workers (outside Schengen) will be completely revitalized. Before going on vacation on July 21, the Walloon government thus approved at first reading a draft decree relating to the admission to work of foreign workers.
Banking on foreign workers
In the office of the Minister of Employment, the socialist Christie Morreale, we do not hide it. Behind this reform, it is mainly a question of finding solutions to alleviate labor shortages that affect many sectors of activitywhile developing the economic attractiveness of Wallonia. “To respond to the labor shortage and develop the Walloon economy, we wanted to simplify the proceduresubstantially reduce processing times by the administration and create a more welcoming context understandable and transparent for workers, employers and investors,” says Christie Morreale.
In 2022, the Walloon administration granted 2,051 permits, including 63 for an unlimited period. In addition, 605 refusals were recorded. Among the countries of origin, the majority of workers arrive from the USA, India, Cameroon, Morocco or Turkey. But “the waiting time for the granting of the permit is four to five months. A person we have just hired cannot start work before this deadline“, recently regretted a company. Another pointed to the salary amounts calculated by the administration.
Extension of grant conditions and “junior” threshold
“We wanted to simplify the procedure, substantially reduce processing times by the administration and create a more understandable and transparent reception context for workers, employers and investors.”
Without making a clean sweep of the past, here are the major changes provided for by the reform. For less qualified workers, the granting conditions are extended to different categories of trades. “Currently, for functions that do not require a higher education diploma; only trades said to be in short supply can benefit from these licensing so almost systematic. However, in practice, some professions require a know-how, a specialized qualification that does not fall under the category of trades in shortage. The new provisions will make it possible to integrate these particular professions and to take into account the recruitment difficulties specific to a sub-region, as well as the procedures carried out by the employer with the Forem”, explains the firm Morreale.
The reform will also expand access conditions for highly skilled workers. Currently, only workers with a higher education might be qualified as “highly qualified person” eligible for a work permit. From now on, professional experience will also be taken into account.
“The administrative burden imposed on employers who employ workers subject to a work permit is still too high.”
Moreover, still for highly qualified workers, like what is done in the Netherlands or in Flanders, a “junior” threshold is set up for workers under thirty. It will therefore no longer be necessary to systematically apply a salary threshold of 47,175 euros gross per year.
Procedures will also be simplified and accelerated, in particular by speeding up the processing of files at the level of the administration. “The administrative burden imposed on employers who employ workers subject to a work permit is still too heavy”, estimates the Morreale cabinet.
Finally, and this was also a request from many employers, the wage package used to remunerate workers will be expanded. Until now, to remunerate these workers, an employer always had to go through montants fixeswhich made it impossible to include in the examination of the file bonus related settings relating to the company’s results, for example. The various benefits in kind or taken were de facto excludes. “These various restrictions are removed, foreign workers will be able to benefit from the same salary packaging as their Belgian and European colleagues.”
The summary
- The Walloon government issued a decree just before the holidays with a view to reform the procedures for granting work permits for foreign workers (hors Schengen).
- The objective is to gain flexibility and facilitate economic migration to address job shortages.
- The reform will include broaden access conditions for highly skilled workersextend the salary package and push the administration to process files more quickly.
1692718250
#Wallonia #facilitate #hiring #foreign #workers
