It's that time of the year again. Who's sharing?
EDIT: My bad, everyone! Didn't mean to look like a lurker. To fair share, here is mine: €61,000 net, on top of the regular pay.
Hi everyone. I moved to Brussels about a few months ago to be with my husband (Belgian resident, so I have the right to work) and I have been job searching for over 5 months now. I've applied to over 100 roles and I'm getting no responses. I had one interview but I think it was a scam. I'm starting to feel like I made a huge mistake, and that I'm losing any career momentum I had out of school.
I have experience in events, communications, and project management in the non-profit and cultural sector. I've planned major fundraisers, developed exhibitions, and handled digital marketing. I'm trying to apply this experience to the non profit space in Brussels, but have expanded outside that as well due to how little luck I've had.
I'm targeting junior roles and traineeships in events, comms, and project management. I've tried LinkedIn, BrusselsJobs, agencies, and traineeship boards. None of it is working. I keep hitting walls. I've tried networking, but its really hard to get my foot in the door here.
The language thing is the obvious issue, I know. I'm a native English speaker and I'm actively studying French, but I'm nowhere near B1. However, everyone I have met in Brussels has told me they work entirely in English and non of them speak the local languages.
What I'm struggling to understand is whether this is a language barrier problem, a sector problem (is the cultural/non-profit scene just tiny here?), a CV format problem, or something else I'm missing entirely. Any advice is appreciated. I would even be open to meet for a coffee chat in person!
Thanks 😄
I would like to get your opinion on choosing between a legal mobility budget of approximately €13,000 per year or a company car without a fuel card. I need to commute 3 days a week. The distance to my workplace is about 60 km. For my commute, I could either use my own car or take the train, which would require a 5-6km bike ride to/from the station. Which option would be more beneficial?
+ I have plan to move in future near work place and than with mobility budget i have option to pay rent.
If you can share your personal experience.
Hi,
I’m going back and forward and I can’t find any clear answer.
I know that a company car has to be compensated for the 3 months pay period after being fired, but I don’t know approximately the amount.
Had anyone experience with this? Ware you compensated for the company car?
I wasn’t and I want to ask for compensation but I don’t know how much.
Edit: the car was taken on the day I was fired and I had no car while on notice period.
Edit2: I stopped working immediately and I was compensated for the 3 month period.
So, I've been looking to move out of my company, one of the reasons is that I've been denied a promotion I believe I deserved. So I started looking elsewhere to see if I had the wrong idea about my value on the market. Seems to me that I was not delusional and that the move is a no-brainer. The new company seems nice, the role sounds interesting.
What do you think?
**1. PERSONALIA**
* Age: 34
* Education: Master's in electrical engineering & master's in Business management
* Work experience : 11
* Civil status: Single
* Dependent people/children: 0
**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**
* Sector/Industry: Healthcare equipment provider --> Same sector
* Amount of employees: 2000+ --> 2000+
* Multinational? Yes --> Yes
**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**
* Current job title: Product manager --> Product manager
* Job description: Manage product portfolio, ensure market fit and product success. Previously was capex intensive, low volume equipment --> Job offer is for low capex, high volume equipment and consumables
* Seniority: 6 --> 0 (but my experience is highly relevant)
* Official hours/week : 40 --> 40
* Average real hours/week incl. overtime: 40, sometimes less, sometimes more --> To be determined, probably similar
* Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): 9 to 5, flexible --> 9 to 5, probably flexible
* On-call duty: No --> No
* Vacation days/year: 32 --> 36
**4. SALARY**
* Gross salary/month: 5900 --> 7100
* Net salary/month: 3500 --> Not sure yet
* Netto compensation: 200 --> Probably similar
* Car/bike/... or mobility budget: EV with electricity taken from my gross bonus (plan cafetaria) --> EV with charging card included
* 13th month (full? partial?): Full --> Full
* Meal vouchers: 8€/day --> 10€/day
* Ecocheques: 250€ --> 0€
* Group insurance: Yes --> Yes
* Other insurances: Hospitalization insurance --> Same
* Other benefits (bonuses, stocks options, ... ): About 8k€ yearly bonus --> About 10k€ yearly bonus
**5. MOBILITY**
* City/region of work: Brabant Wallon --> Vlaamse Brabant
* Distance home-work: 30km/30min --> 30km/30min+ depending on traffic
* How do you commute? Company car --> Company car
* How is the travel home-work compensated: Not compensated
* Telework days/week: 3 days/week --> 2 days/week
**6. OTHER**
* How easily can you plan a day off: Easily --> I expect easily
* Is your job stressful? Sometimes --> Probably sometimes
* Responsible for personnel (reports): No --> No
edit: formatting
**1. PERSONALIA**
* Age: 26
* Education: Master business
* Work experience : 3
* Civil status: alone
* Dependent people/children: 0
**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**
* Sector/Industry: FMCG
* Amount of employees: 1000+
* Multinational? Yes
**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**
* Current job title: Sales support
* Job description: sales analysis and admin work for a sales team
* Seniority: 1
* Official hours/week : 39
* Average real hours/week incl. overtime: 40
* Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): flexible
* On-call duty: no
* Vacation days/year: 26
**4. SALARY**
* Gross salary/month: 4700
* Net salary/month: 2700
* Netto compensation: 0
* Car/bike/... or mobility budget: car company but need to pay with my gross salary 500/month
* 13th month (full? partial?): full
* Meal vouchers: 0
* Ecocheques: 0
* Group insurance: 4%
* Other insurances: full dkv
* Other benefits (bonuses, stocks options, ... ): 1 month of salary as bonuses every year, phone
**5. MOBILITY**
* City/region of work: bruxelles
* Distance home-work: 1h
* How do you commute? Car
* How is the travel home-work compensated: car company
* Telework days/week: 3d/w
**6. OTHER**
* How easily can you plan a day off: as i want
* Is your job stressful? Depend of the period 10%
* Responsible for personnel (reports): 0
​
I have a question if you continue to work for the same employee in the same pariteir commite but you move up a letter from a to b for example do you retain ancienniteit?
Example going from pa 200 a to 200 b (afther 3 years) do you get the wage of experience 0 or experience 3 years?
Thx for the answer
Belgium had the sixth-highest average salaries among EU countries in the OECD in 2025, according to a report published by the intergovernmental organisation.
The recently-published Taxing Wages 2026 report takes a look at changes in taxation on employees and employers across the 38 member states of the OECD. It uses average gross wage figures collected from each of the countries, and focuses on changes between 2024 and 2025 as part of its analysis.
With an average wage of €62,348, Belgium sits in tenth place in the overall ranking of European countries within the OECD, which is topped by Switzerland and Iceland. Norway and the United Kingdom are the other non-EU countries ahead of Belgium, which is sandwiched between Ireland and Austria in the table.
Luxembourg had the highest average wage among European Union countries at €77,840, ahead of Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Other major EU countries are some way behind their northern neighbours, with France on €45,964, Italy on €36,594, and Spain at €32,678. Slovakia had the lowest average wage, with €19,590, while Hungary and Latvia were also below the €22,000 mark.
Wages stagnating in Belgium
As was the case elsewhere, Belgium saw an increase in the gross average salary of its workers compared to the previous year, having jumped from €60,370 in 2024 by nearly €2,000. However, this figure grew at a slower rate than in other countries.
Taking into account inflation (which averaged at 3% in Belgium across 2025), the previous twelve months will have seen the average salary before tax grew by only 0.3%. Only Austria saw a lower percentage increase in the EU, at 0.2%, while Greece, France, and Luxembourg were the other EU member countries where growth was lower than 1%.
The most dramatic increase was seen in Lithuania, which saw a 5.8% increase in wages, closely followed by Poland on 5.7% and Slovenia with 4.1%.
Gap narrowing between OECD members
As pointed out in a Euronews analysis of the report, the gap in average wages between OECD countries narrows once purchasing power is taken into account, compared to the nominal figures.
A separate ranking, measuring gross salaries in US dollars with equal purchasing power, sees Belgium move up to seventh place in the European rankings, with a gross average of $87,530. The country is notably ahead of the United Kingdom ($82 329), France ($67 273), and Italy ($60 503)
Germany tops the list among EU countries, at $93,985, and is only behind Switzerland in the OECD-wide ranking.The lowest of the member countries, meanwhile, is Slovakia on $38,113, while the average among the EU countries that are members of the OECD is $64,771.
Belgium leads tax table
The report also found that Belgium had one of the highest average tax rates among OECD countries. For single workers with no children, the burden is nearly 40%, higher than for any other member.
The next-highest tax burdens were found in Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia, and Denmark, while the OECD average was around 25%.
Czechia had the lowest average tax rate, reaching around 21%, while among European countries as a whole, Switzerland's rate was the only one that fell below the 20% mark.
The OECD also analysed the differences in tax burdens for married couples, specifically those with one earner and one child. In these cases, Belgians pay only 19.9% on their income, a rate which places the country below the likes of Slovakia, Poland and Luxembourg.
​
**1. PERSONALIA**
* Age: 25
* Education: Master sciences (Biotech related, magna cum laude)
* Work experience : +-1Year
* Civil status: Unmarried, no children
* Dependent people/children: 0
**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**
* Sector/Industry: Food
* Amount of employees: <50
* Multinational? no
**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**
* Current job title: R&D project manager
* Job description: Managing R&D projects tied to external funding, managing the funding related material, external events, leading management level meetings, etc. ; also means i handle large budgets and cost-saving measures for the company in an 'officially you don't have final responsibility but unofficially everybody trusts my work' ; Stakeholder management for projects with other companies
* Seniority: 1 Year, first job after graduating
* Official hours/week : 38
* Average real hours/week incl. overtime: 38-40 (if on-site work 38, if external events closer to 40-45)
* Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): 9-18
* On-call duty: No, but if case related questions come i need to answer, only CEO can call me in case of emergencies
* Vacation days/year: 20
**4. SALARY**
* Gross salary/month: 2955
* Net salary/month: 2250
* Netto compensation: 125
* Car/bike/... or mobility budget: Car + fuel card (100 VAA, calculated in the net salary ; car is company owned, not a leasing)
* 13th month (full? partial?): Full
* Meal vouchers: 5
* Ecocheques: 250
* Group insurance: Small % , should ask HR
* Other insurances: Hospitalisation insurance
* Other benefits (bonuses, stocks options, ... ): Laptop for private use & phone bill paid by company
**5. MOBILITY**
* City/region of work: Limburg
* Distance home-work: 10km
* How do you commute? Company car
* How is the travel home-work compensated: /
* Telework days/week: 0
**6. OTHER**
* How easily can you plan a day off: Easy, if in advance. I decide my case workload and hours, only respond to CEO and production manager
* Is your job stressful? If deadlines yes, otherwise no.
* Responsible for personnel (reports): No, but I have to coordinate cross-departemental teams which can be a large responsibility. Some events need 10-20 people to work in tandem.
Want to touch base on my salary, responsibilities and the job: what does it look like to experienced personel? I am basically a manager in training and they're gradually allowing me more responsibility. Evaluations have always been positive and i have a lot of direct visibility to the CEO and other management. I quickly have become a main cog in a lot of workstreams, and i can build a ton of external connections.
The work region is also rather cheap. They also only rarely get people with my kind of degree around here so management jumped at my application when joining. I get responsibility for large scale events which rapidly build my knowledge. Have a great team backing me as well, management is very reachable and helpfull. I also still live at home, so able to save a large portion due to low costs.
Only thing i'm doubting is if i don't miss the biotech/laboratory side of the industry too much. I know it pays a lot more and the work leans more towards my studies but i also kind of like this job. We are in a niche industry with a good reputation.
**1. PERSONALIA**
* Age: 46 * Education: Associate degree in ICT * Work experience : 2 at current employer * Civil status: Single * Dependent people/children: 1 in co parenting
**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**
* Sector/Industry: Pharma * Amount of employees: 50 * Multinational? Part of a multinational
**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**
* Current job title: Business Process Analyst * Job description: Link between business and IT. Generalist in business processes and 15y of experience with ERP systems. * Seniority: 15y experience, 2y at this company * Official hours/week : 39 * Shiftwork or 9 to 5: 9 to 5, but lot's of freedom. Nobody cares about my hours.
DESCRIPTION** * On-call duty: NO * Vacation days/year: 32
**4. SALARY**
* Gross salary/month: 5100 * Net salary/month: 3100 * Netto compensation: 155 * Car/bike/... or mobility budget: 750 tco * 13th month (full? partial?): full * Meal vouchers: 10 Euro a day * Ecocheques: No * Group insurance: 1250 a year * Other insurances: hospital, ... * Other benefits: bonus 7500 a year
**5. MOBILITY**
* City/region of work: Antwerp province * Distance home-work: 15 minutes * How do you commute? Car * How is the travel home-work compensated: company car * Telework days/week: I work 2 days a week from home, but nobody cares or monitors.
**6. OTHER**
* How easily can you plan a day off: easily * Is your job stressful? Nope * Responsible for personnel (reports): Nope
I took a serious paycut to work close to home and have more freedom. With co-parenting after our break up I needed to find a job with more free time. But it is starting to sting a little. Thinking of asking 500 euro extra. Which would still be less than previous job.
I work for a startup division within a large construction company group. We're a team of 3 (+ our boss, but he doesn't help much since he's also in charge of another company in the group). We used to be a team of 4, but one person got fired a few months back. His workload was divided between the three of us, and there's no replacement planned.
Our contracts will be shifted from one company to another within the group, because it makes more sense in terms of location and management. I'd like to take advantage of the fact that I have to sign a new contract to ask for a raise. I feel like, for the amount of responsibility I have, I deserve more than a starter's salary. I'm also a bit older than the average "schoolverlater" (recent graduate), and therefore feel more mature.
I already carry a lot of responsibility and put in quite a few extra (uncompensated) hours. It might also be worth mentioning that, outside of our team, the work mentality is very old-fashioned and not very pleasant.
Am I right to want more for what I do, or should I just accept what I have and be content?
1. PERSONALIA
2. EMPLOYER PROFILE
3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS
4. SALARY
5. MOBILITY
6. OTHER
More and more companies are offering a federal mobility budget to their employees. Which sounds like a good opportunity to optimise bruto/Neto ratio.
BUT, what will happen if a government decides to cut it off / reduce it with even more constraints ?
From your point of view, is the federal mobility budget written in stone? Or can it be removed in a few years ?
I can understand minor change along the time to fit the potential "green" target.
What do you think?
I’m being promoted to a director position but feel like I may be low balled a bit. FYI, I already have the duties of the role which is why I am being promoted. Overall I have been offered a 6% raise + an extra 5% to my performance bonus. I was expecting to see a raise of around 10% but since I never got an internal promotion in the past (I always managed to get +10/15% moving from a company to the other) and I want to avoid appearing as unnecessarily greedy.
FYI, this is a US company.
**1. PERSONALIA**
* Age: **33**
* Education: **Master in Law**
* Work experience : **6*
* Civil status: **Married**
* Dependent people/children: **1**
**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**
* Sector/Industry: **Tech/Pharma**
* Amount of employees: **400**
* Multinational? **YES**
**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**
* Current job title: **Senior Counsel** => **Legal Director**
* Job description: **negotiating agreements + leading a few governance initiatives**
* Seniority: **2 years in this company**
* Official hours/week : **40**
* Average real hours/week incl. overtime: **35 to 50 depending activity**
* Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): **9-6 but I can have very late night calls**
* On-call duty: **that can happen**
* Vacation days/year: **37**
**4. SALARY**
* Gross salary/month: **7990** => **8490**
* Net salary/month: **4400** => **I guess around 4550**
* Netto compensation: **140**
* Car/bike/... or mobility budget: **car + charging card + phone**
* 13th month (full? partial?): **full**
* Meal vouchers: **10€/DAY**
* Ecocheques: **no**
* Group insurance: **yes**
* Other insurances: **life insurance**
* Other benefits (bonuses, stocks options, ... ): **Stock options + 20% of yearly annual gross salary in performance bonus **
**5. MOBILITY**
* City/region of work: **Flanders**
* Distance home-work: **100km**
* How do you commute? **Car**
* How is the travel home-work compensated: **Company car**
* Telework days/week: **full remote**
**6. OTHER**
* How easily can you plan a day off: **Somewhat easily**
* Is your job stressful? **yes**
* Responsible for personnel (reports): **No but I have a paralegal and an administrative assistant to handle some tasks on my request**
I have some interviews in the following weeks for some job offerings as mechanical designer in Flanders, just wanted to have clarity in what to expect on regards of salary:
Mexican Mechatronics Engineer (Bachelor)
2 yrs experience
Appreciate your inputs!
Hallo!
Ik zit vast tussen deze 2 graduaatsopleidingen en ik wil gewoon eerlijke meningen van mensen in België:
HR Support
Marketing & Communicatiesupport
welke heeft betere jobkansen in België?
waar geraak je sneller aan werk als starter?
welke betaalt beter (nu + later)?
welke heeft écht doorgroeimogelijkheden en welke blijft stuck op entry level jobs?
Ik hoor zoveel verschillende dingen dus ik wil gewoon de realiteit van mensen die er effectief in zitten of er gewerkt hebben.
Als je opnieuw moest kiezen in België, welke zou je nemen en waarom?
How many vacation days do you have annually?
Public holidays (or days off replacing public holidays) not included.
I'll start, 35: 20 legal + 10 extralegal (not ADV, working 38h/week) + 5 FIP
Which kind of cv format are accepted in Belgium? i heard from some recruiters that in Belgium they prefer Cvs with similar to the ones on CANVa based format even for experienced roles (Those formats seem to be somehow unprofessional to me).
Could someone brief on these?
Ik heb lang gesukkeld in mijn leven met mentale problemen. Na mijn middelbaar in gezondheid- en welzijnswetenschappen, ben ik eerst volwassenenonderwijs gaan doen voor opvoeder/begeleider, maar stages waren zwaar vanwege autisme en adhd. Na 3 jaar proberen, uiteindelijk ermee gestopt. (Ook corona die ertussen kwam)
Ik heb therapieen gevolgd van langer dan 1,5 jaar en heb nu pas op 25 een job die ik aankan in maatwerk. (Vind het zelf vreselijk dat ik al 25 ben en nu pas wat kan vinden)
Jammer genoeg verdien ik 20u/week maar ongeveer 1000 euro netto. Ik heb gehoord dat het bij hun ongeveer 1800 netto is fulltime. Of dat zo is, weet ik niet 100% zeker, want ik doe nu half-time.
Ik ben bang om echt te weinig te verdienen en niet te kunnen leven, maar overleven. Hogeschool wil ik wel doen, maar ben ook nog steeds bang dat het mentaal toch te zwaar gaat zijn en ik zou biet weten wat ik moet studeren dan.
Is 1000 euro voor 20u of 1800-1900 voor 40u een goed loon om te starten? Welke jobs verdienen goed, maar heb je geen extreem hoog diploma voor nodig?