Brussels Voucher Crisis: 735 Jobs at Risk as Ministers Clash

Hundreds of domestic workers in Brussels face potential layoffs by January 2027 as a regulatory clash threatens to upend the region’s service voucher sector — sparking a bitter political blame game between the current employment minister and his predecessor. Up to 735 jobs could be lost, and more than 9,000 Brussels families could lose their domestic help if no solution is found, according to sector representatives.

The Regulatory Trigger

At the heart of the crisis is a decree adopted in 2024 under the previous Brussels government. The regulation creates an incompatibility between service voucher contracts and employment subsidies for social economy integration — effectively prohibiting workers whose positions are financed by the social economy integration scheme from performing service voucher-paid work.

The Brussels Federation of Socio-Professional Integration and Social Economy Organizations (FeBISP) warns that this could force the closure of 13 organizations active in the sector. As La Libre Belgique reports, FeBISP press officer Nathalie Paquet stated: “If nothing changes quickly, 735 people will be laid off by January 1, 2027 at the latest. And more than 9,000 Brussels families will lose their domestic help.”

Minister Laurent Hublet’s cabinet offers a more conservative estimate of 347 direct jobs affected out of approximately 27,000 workers in Brussels’ service voucher sector — a system that costs the region €304 million annually, representing over one-third of the regional employment budget.

A Political Powder Keg

The crisis has ignited a fierce political dispute between Laurent Hublet (Les Engagés), who became Brussels Minister of Employment on February 14, 2026, and his predecessor Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI), now a deputy in the Brussels Parliament.

Hublet’s camp argues it is merely implementing regulations inherited from the previous government. According to BruxellesToday, his cabinet stated: “This reform, conducted over more than a year in close consultation with social partners, received a positive opinion from Brupartners and unanimous approval from the government of the time.” The minister has signaled openness to adaptations or a transitional period, and has tasked Actiris — the Brussels public employment service — with supporting affected workers.

Clerfayt, who held the employment portfolio when the 2024 decree was adopted, had pushed for wage increases for domestic workers in late 2025 but faced parliamentary blockage due to budget negotiations. As DH Net reported at the time, he asked: “Don’t the 27,000 Brussels domestic workers also deserve a decent wage?”

Sector organizations note that several projects had been validated in 2024 by Brussels Economy and Employment, Actiris, and the Social Economy Advisory Council based on a different interpretation of the regulations — and they denounce what they call a “rupture without consultation.”

Workers and Families in the Crossfire

The human toll of the crisis is significant. The affected workers are predominantly women in vulnerable employment situations, many of whom rely on the social economy integration scheme as a pathway to stable employment. The sector has already faced challenges: in July 2025, a national wage increase agreement was reached for service voucher workers in Flanders and Wallonia, but Brussels was excluded because it had no full-power government at the time.

Meanwhile, L’Avenir reports that approximately 350 people (according to organizers) or 150 (according to police) gathered outside Minister Hublet’s offices on May 7 to protest the situation. A second protest is planned for May 20 outside the headquarters of Les Engagés, Hublet’s party, to directly challenge the minister.

What’s Next?

The January 1, 2027 deadline creates mounting urgency. The path to resolution remains unclear, with three possible outcomes: modification of the decree, implementation of a transitional period, or the mass layoffs the sector fears. The Brussels Parliament’s position on the issue will be crucial, as will the outcome of the May 20 protest and any subsequent negotiations.

For now, thousands of Brussels families and workers are caught in a political standoff — one where both ministers insist the other bears responsibility, while the clock ticks toward a deadline that could reshape the region’s domestic help landscape.