Unemployment reform 2026: impact on your hiring
Last updated: August 2026
For years, the same observation has come up in every conversation between employers: finding staff is impossible. From the second half of 2026, the backdrop changes.
The reform of unemployment insurance caps the duration of benefits at 24 months. The new rules have applied since 1 March 2026, and end-of-entitlement dates are spread in waves until July 2027. This is not a technical adjustment: it is the biggest movement on the Belgian labour market in a long while.
Let us be clear on one point before going further. For the people concerned, this reform is hard. Our purpose here is not to debate its merits, but to explain to you, as an employer, what changes in the context of your hiring and what you can concretely offer.
In this article: what the reform provides, the calendar of waves, the three effects on your hiring, and why a temporary assignment now carries more weight in a candidate's eyes.
What changes in the unemployment rules?
Entitlement to full unemployment benefits is now limited in time. The maximum duration is 24 months, against an unlimited duration before. It consists of a base period of 12 months, to which up to 12 additional months may be added depending on work history. Integration allowances, intended for young people leaving education without having worked enough, are capped at one year.
A second change is less commented on, but decisive for your practice. Since 1 March 2026, opening an entitlement to benefits after a period of employment requires proof of 312 working days or equivalent days within a reference period of 36 months. That figure is now the same for everyone, whatever their age and family situation, whereas the old system applied three different thresholds by age.
One nuance to keep in mind: a political debate continues over a possible postponement of certain end dates. The principle of the reform is settled, the precise calendar may still move. Check the current position on the NEO (National Employment Office) website before relying on a date.
What calendar, in concrete terms?
The removal of entitlement does not happen in one block. It is organised in waves, defined by two criteria: how long the person has already received benefits, and their work history.
- 1 July 2025: opening of a transitional period, with an end-of-entitlement date set by wave for those already receiving benefits
- January to March 2026: six waves of end of entitlement for the first group concerned
- 1 March 2026: entry into force of the new rules
- 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2027: end of entitlement for people with less than five years of work history in their first benefit period
That last line matters most for your hiring pool. Those people are often young, mobile, and do not yet have a fixed specialisation. In concrete terms: between the summer of 2026 and the summer of 2027, every quarter brings new profiles into a far more active job search.
What it changes for you, in three effects
Effect 1: more candidates, and more mobile candidates
The first effect is mechanical. Someone whose entitlement to benefits ends widens their criteria: type of contract, distance, hours, sector. Applications you were not receiving will start to arrive.
Be careful not to draw too quick a conclusion. Genuine shortage occupations will not ease as a result: a nurse or an industrial electromechanic does not emerge from an unemployment reform. What changes is the volume and the mobility on broader profiles, the ones for which you received three weak applications when you expected fifteen.
Effect 2: a short assignment carries more weight
This is the most important effect, and the least understood. An assignment of a few weeks is no longer a fallback in the candidate's eyes: it becomes a useful step. Your temporary contract has therefore gained in appeal without you changing anything in your offer. We set out that mechanism a little further on.
Effect 3: speed of hiring becomes an argument
In a market where people have an end-of-entitlement date written in their letter from the NEO, the time between application and first working day becomes a selection criterion.
An employer who puts someone to work within three days has a real advantage over one who takes five weeks to close their process, even at equal pay. A purely administrative competitive advantage: that is unusual, and it comes entirely from your registration and declaration process.
Why a temporary assignment now carries more weight
This point shapes your recruitment narrative for the months ahead. It therefore deserves to be set out precisely.
Before the reform, a jobseeker receiving benefits with no time limit could reasonably turn down a six-week assignment to stay available for a permanent contract. From their point of view, the calculation was rational.
Since March 2026, the calculation flips. Working is no longer just immediate income: it is what allows the required 312 days to be built up. The NEO counts in principle 26 working days per month for full-time work, so 78 days per quarter. A three-month full-time assignment therefore represents roughly a quarter of the way.
For you as an employer, that has three practical implications.
Your temporary offer is stronger than before. You do not need to present it as a compromise. It has objective value for the candidate.
Transparency about duration becomes an asset. Clearly stating "six weeks, renewable depending on activity" beats deliberate vagueness. The candidate is doing the maths.
The move to a permanent contract remains your best argument. An assignment that can lead to a hire combines both advantages. We set out that mechanism in our article on why a temp job can be the perfect stepping stone to a permanent hire.
Which hiring incentives you can use
Hiring someone further from the labour market sometimes opens up contribution reductions. These schemes exist at federal and regional level, and the regional ones change frequently.
Two federal schemes worth knowing, which we have covered elsewhere:
- The target-group reduction for a first hire, if you are taking on your first workers. See our article on the benefits of the target-group reduction for a first hire
- The work bonus, which lightens personal contributions on low wages and improves the worker's net pay at no extra cost to you. See how to calculate the work bonus
For regional schemes linked to hiring long-term jobseekers, the conditions and amounts depend on the region of the place of employment and change regularly. Check with the relevant regional employment service, or ask your payroll partner to verify before you build a budget on an incentive.
Hiring in a turning market: 4 reflexes
1. Shorten your time to first working day
Measure it first. Many employers discover they lose ten days between the verbal agreement and the first working day, purely for administrative reasons: contract to draft, Dimona (immediate employment declaration) to file, documents to gather. In the market now opening, those ten days cost you candidates.
2. Open up on qualifications, close in on skills
The profiles arriving on the market do not always have the linear path your job ads describe. Define what the person must be able to do after a month, and test that, rather than filtering on a qualification title. Our analysis of the difference between shortage and mismatch sets out that trade-off.
3. Offer a real trial rather than a promise
Temporary employment lets you evaluate in real conditions, and lets the candidate evaluate you. That is more honest than a forty-minute interview, for both sides.
4. Stay in touch with the profiles you did not select
A candidate you turn down in September may be exactly who you need in January. Building a pool of people you have already met costs little and pays off in a moving market. Our article on building a flexible workforce covers that pool logic.
What employers should remember
The reform is settled, the calendar is spread out. New rules since 1 March 2026, full unemployment benefits capped at 24 months, integration allowances at one year. End dates are spread in waves, including a series between 1 July 2026 and 1 July 2027 for people with less than five years of work history.
The pool widens on broad profiles, not on shortage occupations. Do not expect this reform to solve a technical shortage.
What you offer carries more weight than before. It now takes 312 working days over 36 months to open an entitlement: every assignment counts for the candidate.
Administrative speed becomes a commercial argument. The time between agreement and first working day has become a selection criterion for candidates.
How Recruit helps you
Hiring temporary staff without administrative worries? That is why we built Recruit.
With Recruit:
- Contracts in under 60 seconds - Create trial and agency contracts without the hassle
- Fast start - Dimona declaration and documents ready before day one
- Automatic salary calculation - Correct pay under current legislation and your joint committee
- A pool that stays available - Find again the people who have already worked for you
- Personal support 24/7 - Always a dedicated contact who knows your company
Try Recruit or contact our HR experts for tailored advice.
Frequently asked questions
How long are benefits still paid?
Entitlement to full unemployment benefits is capped at 24 months: a base period of 12 months, plus up to 12 months depending on work history. Integration allowances are capped at one year. Transitional rules apply to people already receiving benefits before the reform, with end dates organised in waves.
Does a temporary contract reopen an entitlement?
Since 1 March 2026, you must prove 312 working days or equivalent days within a reference period of 36 months, whatever your age. A temporary assignment therefore contributes to that condition, without necessarily meeting it on its own. For an individual situation, only the NEO can decide.
Will I receive more applications in 2026?
Probably, especially for broad and versatile profiles. Structural shortage occupations, particularly technical and care roles, will remain hard to fill.
Is there financial support for hiring?
That depends on the person's situation and on your region. Contribution reductions exist at federal level, such as the target-group reduction for a first hire, and at regional level for certain groups. Conditions change regularly: have your case checked before budgeting for an incentive.
Must I check a candidate's status before hiring?
You do not have to check their situation as a benefit recipient. Your usual obligations remain in full, however: written contract, Dimona, occupational accident insurance and verification of the data needed to put the person to work.
The information in this article is purely indicative and does not replace professional legal or accounting advice. Unemployment rules are evolving and certain dates may still be adjusted. Always consult the NEO website or contact an HR expert for advice tailored to your situation.