Belgium Expands Flexi-Job System to All Sectors from July 1

The Belgian Chamber of Representatives has approved a landmark expansion of the flexi-job system to all sectors, with the new rules taking effect on July 1, 2026. Originally introduced in 2015 for the hospitality sector, the system allows workers employed at least 80% time, as well as pensioners, to earn supplementary income with significantly reduced taxes. The expansion, approved overnight on June 18-19, represents one of the most significant labor market reforms under the De Wever government, but has drawn sharp criticism from labor unions who warn it undermines social security and regular employment, as VRT NWS reported.

How the Flexi-Job System Works

A flexi-job allows workers to earn extra income on top of their existing job or pension. For the worker, the gross wage equals the net wage — no employee-side taxes or social contributions are deducted. Non-pensioned workers can earn up to €18,440 per year tax-free (2026 income year), while pensioners face no ceiling. Employers pay a 28% social security contribution on flexi-job wages, compared to 25% for regular workers.

The system has grown explosively since its introduction. In 2025, more than 261,000 people worked as flexi-jobbers — a 14% increase year-over-year — performing nearly 360,000 flexi-jobs across approximately 53,000 companies, according to RSZ data cited by VRT NWS.

What Changes on July 1

Under the expansion, flexi-jobs become permitted in all private and public sectors. However, individual sectors can opt out through their joint committee (paritair comité) — a mechanism called “opt-out.” Several sectors have already indicated they will activate this option, including funeral services, real estate managers and brokers, and the agriculture and horticulture sector, as Minister of Work David Clarinval (MR) confirmed during the parliamentary debate, per the VRT NWS liveblog.

Key changes include the relaxation of the “related company” rule: full-time workers (100%) may now flexi-job at a related enterprise of their employer, though the restriction remains for 80% workers. Temporary agency workers may also become flexi-jobbers, but not for the same employer. Pensioners can start flexi-working immediately after retirement, though they must wait one quarter if returning to their former employer, as detailed by Liantis in its legal analysis.

The system will be evaluated annually, with sectors required to report by summer 2027.

Who Flexi-Jobs and What They Earn

Flexi-jobbers are slightly more female (52%) than male (48%). The largest age group is 25-39, but workers aged 65 and above — mostly pensioners — work the most hours. Over 80% of flexi-jobbers are Flemish, making it a predominantly regional phenomenon.

Contrary to some assumptions, more than 8 out of 10 flexi-jobbers hold a full-time job (at least 95% employment). Only 17% combine an 80% job with a flexi-job, and 71% of that group are women, according to VRT NWS.

The median flexi-jobber earns approximately €1,900 per year in additional income, with an average monthly supplement of about €446. The average hourly wage stands at €15.86 (Q3 2025), ranging from €21.84 per hour in driving schools to lower rates in hospitality, which employs the highest number of flexi-jobbers at 68,409.

“The flexi-job doesn’t exist. Every sector uses this system in its own way: from short shifts to more intensive collaborations,” Anneleen Verstraeten, legal expert for SMEs at SD Worx, told VRT NWS.

The expansion has sharply divided Belgium’s social partners. Employer organizations strongly support the reform. “This is precisely the kind of structural reform our economy needs,” said Pieter Timmermans, CEO of the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO), as reported by Business AM.

Labor unions, however, are fiercely opposed. “Different types of workers for the same work is not only unjust, the government is also destroying our entire welfare system with it,” said Ann Vermorgen, President of the ACV Christian Trade Union, in comments carried by VRT NWS. “The financial attractiveness of individual flexi-jobs conceals a creeping poison on our labor market.”

The socialist ABVV trade union warns the government risks losing more than half a billion euros in annual revenue by 2030 due to the expansion, calling it a “perverse” path toward further austerity.

Economic Implications and Expert Concerns

Labor economists have raised concerns about potential job displacement. “We must dare to ask the question: are people who are already in a good position now getting jobs at the expense of people who don’t have work?” said Ive Marx, labor economist at the University of Antwerp, as reported by VRT NWS. “It should never become a displacement of regular work.”

Jasper Hubeau, Director of the Financial and Statistical Service at the RSZ, offered a more measured view. “With a median around €1,900, it’s clearly about supplementary earnings,” he noted in VRT NWS.

What to Watch For

As the July 1 implementation date approaches, several key questions remain unanswered. How many sectors will ultimately exercise their opt-out rights? What will be the actual impact on social security revenues in the first year? And will the expansion lead to measurable displacement of regular jobs?

The first annual evaluation, due in summer 2027, will provide crucial data on whether the reform is achieving its goals of flexibility and formalization — or whether the critics’ warnings of social security erosion and labor market inequality are being realized. For now, Belgium’s labor market stands at a pivotal moment, with the flexi-job expansion representing both an opportunity for supplementary income and a fundamental test of the country’s social protection model.