Belgian employers plan to limit hiring in Q1 2026, amid ongoing economic uncertainty
8 December 2025
The Net Employment Outlook falls to +8%, its lowest level in several quarters, leaving Belgium 8 points below the European average and 18 points below the global average.
According to the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, Belgian employers expect a more cautious approach to hiring in the third quarter of 2026. Of the 508 employers surveyed by ManpowerGroup in April, 33% expect to increase their workforce by the end of September 2026, while 25% plan to reduce headcount. 39% of respondents foresee no change, and 3% are unsure.
After seasonal adjustment, the Net Employment Outlook(1) – the difference between the percentage of employers expecting to hire and those anticipating workforce reductions – stands at a cautious +8%. This represents a decline of 5 points compared to the previous quarter and 12 points compared to Q3 2025. With this figure, Belgium is 8 points below the European and Middle East average (+16%) and 18 points below the global average (+26%).
“According to our survey, Belgian employers are becoming more selective in their hiring as economic uncertainty persists. The share of companies planning to reduce headcount has risen from 16% to 25% in a single quarter, which reflects a real awareness of economic constraints,” explains Ronny Lommelen, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup BeLux. “That said, one employer in three still plans to hire. The market remains active, but it is becoming more polarised, with targeted recruitment and contrasting dynamics across sectors.”
Economic caution reshapes workforce strategies
Economic uncertainty continues to shape how employers approach workforce planning. After several years of a tight labour market and dynamic post-pandemic hiring, Belgian employers are now adopting a clearly more defensive stance.
Anticipated hiring increases are mainly driven by company expansion, while expected reductions are largely attributed to economic challenges. In this environment, the priority is on cost control, team stability and recruitment focused on genuinely strategic skills.
Employers in Flanders show greater resilience
As in the previous quarter, employers in Flanders stand out for their stronger resilience (+16%), ahead of their counterparts in Brussels (+5%) and Wallonia (+3%). Hiring intentions have nonetheless declined across all three regions compared to the same period last year, with Flanders nearly stable (-1 point) but Brussels (-29 points) and Wallonia (-19 points) recording sharp drops. For the first time in several quarters, all three regions are posting year-over-year declines simultaneously, a sign that caution has spread across the entire country.
Contrasting employment outlook across sectors
Hiring intentions vary widely from one sector to another this quarter. Employers in Hospitality (+45%) report the highest Net Employment Outlook, although this figure is based on a small sample and should be treated as indicative only. It also marks a steep year-over-year decline (-55 points), suggesting a return to a more normalised pace of growth after an exceptional period.
The real positive surprise comes from Finance & Insurance (+38%), the only sector to improve year-over-year (+2 points) and the strongest quarter-over-quarter gain, driven by digitalisation and compliance. Trade & Logistics and Construction & Real Estate also report solid intentions.
At the other end of the spectrum, Information (-17%) records the weakest outlook, while Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (-5%) shows the sharpest year-over-year decline among the sectors with a representative sample (-45 points). Manufacturing (+11%), Public Sector, Health & Social Services, and Utilities & Natural Resourcespost moderate or flat intentions.
“Several sectors are taking a pause after years of expansion, particularly in technology services, while Finance & Insurance is regaining momentum,” adds Ronny Lommelen. “In the Tech and IT Services subsector, hiring intentions have cooled markedly after a very strong year. This is not a structural retreat but a recalibration of the market around higher-value, specialised skills — exactly the kind of profiles where demand remains hardest to meet.”
By company size, organizations with 10-49 employees report the most positive Outlook (+14%) and the strongest improvement compared to the same time last year (+4 points). Conversely, the largest organizations (5,000+ employees) record the sharpest year-over-year decline (-41 points), reflecting reorganization and workforce optimization programmes in several major Belgian groups.
Positive employment outlook in most countries surveyed globally
ManpowerGroup’s survey of more than 40,500 employers across 42 countries and territories reveals that hiring intentions remain positive worldwide. The global Net Employment Outlook stands at +26%, up 2 points year-over-year.
Employment is under greater pressure in Europe and the Middle East, where the Outlook reaches +16%, down 7 points compared to the previous quarter and 3 points year-over-year.
With a Net Employment Outlook of +8%, Belgium ranks among the lowest in Europe. Compared to its neighbours, Belgium is ahead of Germany (+6%) and France (+3%) but well behind the Netherlands (+23%) and the United Kingdom (+37%).
Elsewhere in the world, the Outlook reaches +48% in India, +45% in the United States, +33% in China, and +5% in Japan.
The results of the next ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey will be released in September 2026 (Quarter 4 2026).
