VDAB Imposed Over 10,000 Sanctions on Job Seekers Last Year

Flemish employment agency VDAB imposed 10,008 sanctions on job seekers in 2025, according to data obtained by CD&V parliamentarian Robrecht Bothuyne. While the figure remains substantial, it represents a third consecutive year of decline — even as unemployment rose to 225,000 job seekers, sparking a heated political debate over the balance between enforcement and guidance.

The Numbers

The 2025 sanctions total marks a significant drop from 12,394 in 2023 and 11,274 in 2024, as HLN reported. The breakdown includes 169 warnings, 8,898 temporary suspensions of benefits averaging 10 weeks, and 941 permanent exclusions. Temporary sanctions suspend benefit payments for periods ranging from 4 to 52 weeks, while permanent exclusions remove the right to unemployment benefits entirely until the individual re-qualifies through employment.

Meanwhile, the number of dossiers forwarded to VDAB’s independent Control Service rose to 38,956 — nearly 4,000 more than the previous year — with missed appointments accounting for 25,864 cases, a 5.7% increase. This means that while more cases are being flagged for potential violations, a smaller proportion are resulting in actual sanctions.

Political Divisions

The declining sanction trend has exposed sharp divisions between Flemish Minister of Work Zuhal Demir (N-VA) and opposition parties. Demir, who has championed stricter enforcement, defended the figures in a press release. “Those who receive benefits have not only rights but also obligations,” she said. “VDAB mediators are intervening faster today. And that is clearly bearing fruit.”

But Bothuyne sees a troubling contradiction. “While the number of job seekers peaked at 225,000 in 2025, the number of sanctions fell to 10,008,” he told De Morgen. “The minister always talks about strict monitoring of job seekers. The figures show that this is not always the case.”

Eva Platteau of the Groen party offered a more fundamental critique. “Zuhal Demir’s policy only offers certainty about sanctions for job seekers, while effective guidance of people toward training or a job remains unclear,” she said in a statement.

Explaining the Decline

Demir’s office argues that the raw numbers do not tell the full story. VDAB now serves a growing number of people who fall outside its sanctioning authority — long-term sick and living wage recipients — groups that have roughly doubled since 2022. “Because living wage recipients and long-term sick are not covered by the sanctions policy, local governments, RIZIV, and the health insurance funds must also play their role,” Demir said.

The minister is currently negotiating a new cooperation agreement with local governments to better track what happens to those who lose benefits and to improve coordination between VDAB and OCMW welfare services.

Wim Adriaens, CEO of VDAB, defended the agency’s approach. “Our focus is naturally on guidance toward work. Our mediators give job seekers opportunities, but we also expect them to seize them. If they don’t, we must be strict,” he said, as reported by VDAB.

Analysts have pointed to several possible explanations for the declining sanction numbers despite rising unemployment. The previous two-chance system created lengthy procedures that could take up to a year, potentially discouraging mediators from initiating sanction processes. Additionally, VDAB mediators may be prioritizing guidance over punishment despite the political rhetoric, reflecting a tension between the agency’s dual mandate of enforcement and support.

Stricter Rules Take Effect

A key factor that may reshape the trend: stricter rules took effect on January 1, 2026. Job seekers now receive only one chance — instead of two — to correct their behavior before facing sanctions. The formal agreement form has been abolished, replaced by an immediate “ultimate agreement form.” Sanctions will also become financially impactful within two months instead of the previous nine.

Broader Reform Context

The sanctions debate unfolds against the backdrop of a major reform reshaping Belgium’s unemployment system. From 2026, unemployment benefits are limited to a maximum of two years. Approximately 60,000 Flemings are expected to lose their benefits, with roughly one-third expected to find work, one-third to stop seeking help, and one-third to turn to local OCMW welfare services for a living wage, according to Vlaanderen.be.

This creates new challenges for coordination between VDAB and local welfare offices. Bothuyne has called for urgent data-sharing agreements between the two. “OCMWs need to be able to properly assess how VDAB’s guidance of their clients is progressing. The legal basis for that is currently lacking. Minister Demir said she would work on this, but to this day we are still waiting,” he warned.

Groen’s Platteau has warned that the combination of time-limited benefits and stricter sanctions could have severe consequences. “OCMWs, trade unions, poverty organizations, social employment organizations, and even her own coalition partners still have many questions about how people will be guided and who will take on which role,” she said.

Analysis

The core paradox at the heart of this story is that Minister Demir publicly advocates for stricter enforcement and faster sanctions, yet the actual number of sanctions has declined for three consecutive years while unemployment has risen. This creates a political vulnerability that both CD&V and Groen have exploited, albeit from different ideological positions.

Demir’s office counters that the stricter rules only took effect on January 1, 2026, so their impact is not yet reflected in the 2025 data. “These figures from Bothuyne are precisely the reason we are implementing a number of interventions,” her cabinet stated. “People who do not want to work will now only get one chance to adjust their behavior.”

What to Watch

The coming months will reveal whether the stricter rules enacted in January 2026 reverse the declining sanction trend. For the 60,000 Flemings facing the loss of their benefits, the question is whether the system can transition people from unemployment to work — rather than from benefits to poverty. Minister Demir is working on a new cooperation framework with local governments, but opposition parties argue that without a clear guidance strategy, stricter enforcement alone will not solve the underlying challenge.