Wallonia wants to regularize undocumented immigrants for professions in shortage

2023-09-05 15:54:45

Walloon socialist Christie Morreale, Minister of Labor of the Walloon government, in Brussels, October 5, 2010. FILIP CLAUS / AFP

Even if it still experiences a high unemployment rate (9.6% in June 2023, excluding the German-speaking community), which particularly concerns young people under 25 (25% were unemployed in 2022, according to the Walloon Institute of evaluation, foresight and statistics), Wallonia is also encountering labor problems in a series of professions: 158 are “in tension”, 92 “in shortage”.

In an attempt to remedy a situation which is hampering its recovery, members of the Walloon government hope to convince the Belgian federal state and Flanders that it is necessary to regularize undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers capable of entering the channels. economic sectors concerned, very diverse: construction, logistics, catering, butchery, welding, IT development, accounting, etc.

Elio Di Rupo, the region’s minister-president, and Christie Morreale, the employment minister, both socialists, sent a letter to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in July. Its content was leaked at the end of August because it had obviously not met the response desired by its authors. Even if the Flemish liberal leader declared himself ” without taboo “ and if Walloon bosses and unions firmly support the ministers’ request.

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Wallonia, which is responsible for granting work permits, on the other hand, requires the approval of the central government for residence permits. Only researchers and students can obtain a single permit. It is therefore impossible to issue an authorization, including to non-European foreigners who have training and skills to practice a profession in shortage. However, there is an emergency, according to Walloon leaders: in the next fifteen years, the region will have 50,000 fewer workers, says the Union of Middle Classes, an association for the defense of independent workers.

Flanders under pressure from the far right

However, it remains to convince Flanders: if the bosses there are also demanding an emergency plan, the right-wing parties, in the majority, are subject to pressure from the extreme right, hostile to any measure comparable to a possible opening of the borders. The interministerial conference, which brings together regional and federal powers, has already mentioned possible regularization but without being able to conclude an agreement. While a total of 200,000 positions are currently unfilled in the country and the situation is considered truly critical in Flanders, where the massive recruitment of cross-border workers, especially French, is no longer enough to make up for the shortage.

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