Belgian employers turn more selective as hiring intentions slow in Q3 2026
8 June 2026
The Net Employment Outlook climbs 8 points compared to the previous quarter, with Wallonia now the most optimistic region and Manufacturing posting the strongest outlook, while Brussels falls sharply and Belgium remains below the European and global averages.
According to the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, Belgian employers are approaching the end of the year with renewed confidence after a cautious third quarter. Of the more than 500 employers surveyed by ManpowerGroup in July, 35% expect to increase their workforce by the end of December 2026, while 19% plan to reduce headcount. 44% of respondents foresee no change, and 2% are unsure.
After seasonal adjustment, the Net Employment Outlook, the difference between the percentage of employers expecting to hire and those anticipating workforce reductions, stands at +16%. This represents an increase of 8 points compared to the previous quarter, although the figure remains 3 points below the level recorded in Q4 2025. The rebound follows several quarters of slowdown and suggests that companies are entering the final quarter of the year with greater confidence. Anticipated hiring increases are mainly driven by companies planning to expand, while employers expecting to reduce their workforce primarily cite economic challenges.
“The rebound in hiring intentions is an encouraging signal, but it should not be read as a return to the momentum of previous years,” says Ronny Lommelen, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup BeLux. “Companies remain attentive to their economic environment and continue to weigh their recruitment decisions carefully. What we are seeing today is a selective recovery, concentrated in the sectors and profiles that meet clearly identified needs.”
Wallonia moves into first place as Brussels loses ground
The most striking change compared to the previous quarter is regional. Wallonia now reports the highest hiring intentions in the country, with a Net Employment Outlook of +22%, 10 points above the Belgian average and 10 points higher than a year ago. The region edges ahead of Flanders, which posts an Outlook of +20%.
This reversal is all the more notable given the results of the previous quarter. In Q3, Flanders led the regional ranking with +16%, while Wallonia trailed with just +3%. Wallonia therefore gains 19 points in a single quarter, while Flanders also improves, albeit to a lesser extent.
The picture is very different in Brussels. With a Net Employment Outlook of +1%, the capital region now sits well below the two other regions and records a 16-point decline year-over-year. Having already posted the sharpest annual drop in the previous quarter, Brussels confirms a particularly fragile dynamic.
The result is an increasingly contrasted Belgian labour market: Wallonia is accelerating, Flanders remains resilient, and Brussels is marking time.
Manufacturing drives the outlook while services remain fragile
Sector trends confirm the selective nature of the recovery. Manufacturing reports the highest Net Employment Outlook of all sectors surveyed, at +32%, and is the only sector with a representative sample to have improved its outlook year-over-year.
Construction & Real Estate follows at +27%, while Finance & Insurance posts an Outlook of +19%. Trade & Logistics and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services both stand at +14%, ahead of Public Sector, Health & Social Services (+5%).
At the other end of the ranking, hiring intentions remain particularly weak in Information (-9%) and Hospitality (-59%). These results should be interpreted with the sample size of certain sectors in mind.
The contrast with the previous quarter is telling. In Q3, Finance & Insurance was the positive surprise with an Outlook of +38%, while Manufacturing stood at +11%. In Q4, industry clearly takes over, with a particularly marked improvement and a level of confidence above that observed in services.
“The return of industry to the top of the hiring outlook is particularly significant,” Lommelen notes. “It likely reflects needs linked to production, investment and the transformation of value chains. But this recovery remains highly targeted: in several service activities, companies are still adjusting their costs and their organisations.”
A measured Belgian recovery in a more favourable international context
ManpowerGroup’s survey of 39,878 employers across 42 countries and territories shows that hiring intentions are generally more favourable internationally than in Belgium. The global Net Employment Outlook stands at +29%, while the average for Europe and the Middle East reaches +22%, up 5 points both compared to the previous quarter and year-over-year.
With a Net Employment Outlook of +16%, Belgium therefore sits below both the global and regional averages. It nonetheless remains ahead of several major European economies, including Germany (+15%) and France (+13%), while the Netherlands (+33%), Sweden (+39%) and the United Kingdom (+23%) report stronger prospects.
The Belgian rebound should therefore be read with nuance: it marks an improvement on the third quarter, but does not yet signal a return to particularly strong hiring momentum.
Employers continue to face a skills shortage
Behind these hiring prospects lies another structural challenge: access to skills. The labour market continues to face a talent shortage, at a time when business needs are evolving rapidly under the influence of technological transformation, and artificial intelligence in particular.
This situation reinforces the importance of targeted recruitment strategies, but also of developing skills within organisations. In a market where hiring intentions can shift quickly from one sector or region to another, the ability of companies to identify, attract and develop the skills they need is becoming an increasingly important competitive factor.
“The challenge for companies is no longer only how many people to recruit, but above all which skills they need to secure to support their transformation,” Lommelen concludes. “Developing existing talent, internal mobility and the recruitment of specialised profiles will continue to play a central role, particularly in the sectors currently undergoing the most profound transformations.”
The results of the next ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey will be released in December 2026 (Quarter 1 2027).
