Record 392,000 Flemish Students Working This Summer

A record 392,792 Flemish students were employed in 2025, according to new figures from the Rijksdienst voor Sociale Zekerheid (RSZ), the National Social Security Office. The milestone represents an increase of more than 67,000 student workers since the first measurement in 2017 and underscores the growing importance of student employment in Flanders’ economy.

Context

Student work in Flanders has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past decade. What was once primarily a summer activity has evolved into a year-round feature of student life, driven by rising study costs, policy changes, and a tight labor market. The RSZ’s annual statistics reveal that nearly 650,000 young people across Belgium now work as student employees, from secondary school through higher education.

The total number of student jobs reached 666,144 in 2025, up from 507,607 in 2017. Students collectively worked 86.8 million paid hours — a 53.6% increase from 56.5 million hours eight years earlier. The average student worked 221 hours per year, equivalent to approximately 5.5 weeks of full-time employment.

Record Earnings

The financial impact is equally striking. Total earnings for Flemish student workers more than doubled from €658 million in 2017 to €1.35 billion in 2025. The average hourly wage rose from €11.64 to €15.52, while the average annual income per student climbed from €2,020 to €3,430.

Healthcare emerged as the best-paying sector for student workers, offering an average of €18.88 per hour, followed by administrative services (€17.34) and construction (€17.10). The most popular sectors remain temporary employment agencies, which account for over one-third of student jobs, along with retail and hospitality — approximately 20% of students work in cafes, hotels, or restaurants.

The End of the Summer Job

Perhaps the most significant shift is the decline of the traditional summer job. Only 13% of students now work exclusively during the summer break, according to the RSZ. “There was a time when students only worked in the summer, as a kind of extra,” said Jasper Hubeau, director of the financial and statistical service at the RSZ. “But that time is definitively behind us.”

Hubeau noted that one-third of student workers were employed in all four quarters of the year. “The classic student job has made way for the working student for whom the job is an integral part of their student life,” he said.

This trend has been enabled in part by policy changes. The student work contingent — the number of hours a student can work at reduced social security rates — has been steadily increased, from 475 hours per year originally to 600 hours temporarily in 2023–2024, and then to 650 hours permanently from 2025 onward.

Provincial Picture

The data reveals significant regional variation. Antwerp province leads in absolute numbers with nearly 109,000 working students, who also clock the most hours at an average of 228 per year. Oost-Vlaanderen offers the highest average hourly wage at €15.64, while West-Vlaanderen has the highest density of student workers per capita.

Some municipalities stand out for exceptionally high earnings. Students in Machelen earned an average of €4,646 per year — over €1,000 above the Flemish average — by working 291 hours annually. Vilvoorde (€4,358) and Nieuwpoort (€4,302) followed closely.

In Limburg, 48,600 student workers collectively earned nearly €170 million, with some businesses now relying heavily on student labor. Ashok Sharda, owner of a Proxy Delhaize in Nieuwerkerken, noted that at peak times, student workers outnumber permanent staff. “I have young people who started with us at age 16 doing basic shelf-stocking, and who are now during their master’s degree my shift leaders or weekend supervisors,” he said.

Implications and Debate

The growth of student employment has not been without controversy. The Federal Planning Bureau has flagged a potential substitution effect, noting that student jobs show structural similarities to low-skilled positions and could displace regular workers. However, business organization UNIZO pushed back against these concerns. “We see no displacement of other groups,” said Joris Renard of UNIZO. “Student work serves as temporary support during peak moments, not as replacement for regular work.”

Bart Lodewyckx of UNIZO Limburg emphasized the developmental benefits: “Young people develop skills, learn to take responsibility, and build a first professional network. That makes the transition to a permanent job later much smoother.”

What’s Next

With study costs in Flanders having nearly doubled in ten years and a record 10,064 students now relying on public welfare living allowances, the financial pressure on students shows no sign of easing. The expansion of the student work contingent to 650 hours and the potential doubling of the maximum earnings threshold remain live policy questions, ensuring that the rise of the year-round working student will continue to shape the Flemish labor market for years to come.