Flexi-Jobs in Healthcare Stall as Gennez Withholds Funding

Since July 1, 2026, flexi-jobs have been legally expanded to all sectors in Belgium, including healthcare — but in practice, the system has yet to take off in the care sector. Flemish Minister of Welfare Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) has not released additional funding for implementation, leaving hospitals, nursing homes, and home care organizations in a state of uncertainty, as reported by Het Laatste Nieuws.

What Are Flexi-Jobs?

Flexi-jobs are a Belgian labor market instrument that allows workers to earn supplemental income on top of a main job or pension. To qualify, workers must either work at least 80 percent (4/5) in their primary job or be retired. The maximum annual flexi-income is €18,440 (2026, indexed annually), on which employees pay no personal social security contributions or withholding tax. Employers pay a special 28 percent social security contribution, as detailed by VRT NWS and SSN.

The system was originally created in 2015 for the hospitality sector and has gradually expanded over the years. The latest expansion — approved by the Chamber of Representatives on June 18, 2026, and published in the Belgian Official Gazette on July 2 — extends flexi-jobs to every sector in the country, including private and public healthcare.

Funding Uncertainty Leaves Care Providers in Limbo

Despite the legal green light, few flexi-jobbers are actually working in healthcare so far, according to De Tijd. The main obstacle: Minister Gennez has not allocated the funding needed to make the system financially viable for care institutions.

Candice de Windt, CEO of Vlozo (Flemish Independent Care Network), which represents private care providers, said most nursing homes fear the financial burden will ultimately fall on them. “Most care homes fear the financial burden will ultimately fall on them,” she told HLN.

Non-profit care providers face similar challenges. Sylvie Slangen, HR and social consultation staff member at Zorgnet-Icuro, the umbrella organization for non-profit care, reported that directors have many unanswered questions about the practical implementation of flexi-jobs in the healthcare sector. She said there is “much uncertainty at the Flemish government about the practical implementation,” though interest in using flexi-jobs remains high.

Criticism from Home Care Sector

The expansion has also drawn sharp criticism from some quarters. Karin Van Mossevelde, CEO of I-mens, an independent Flemish home care organization, highlighted a fundamental contradiction in the policy. “Flexi-jobs are meant to strengthen care, but they simultaneously remove resources from the system that makes that care possible,” she said, noting that because flexi-jobbers pay no social security contributions on their flexi-income, the system loses revenue that could otherwise fund care.

Union opposition remains strong. Ann Vermorgen, president of the ACV Christian trade union, has warned that creating “different types of workers for the same work is not only unjust, the government is also breaking our entire welfare system with it.”

Political Dynamics and the Opt-Out Window

Minister Gennez has defended her cautious approach, stating she is working on structural solutions with the relevant sectors rather than pursuing temporary staffing fixes. She noted that the healthcare workforce grew by 1,100 employees (roughly 1.5 percent) over the past year and that €5.6 million went to student jobs in healthcare. She is waiting until September to see if an opt-out request is filed.

The opt-out mechanism is a key factor: unions and employers in sectors where flexi-jobs were recently introduced can still block the system until the end of September 2026. Flanders can also impose limits, such as capping the percentage of work that flexi-jobbers may perform.

The issue also reflects broader tensions within Belgium’s governing coalition. The De Wever federal government (N-VA, MR, Les Engagés, Vooruit, CD&V) faces immense budget pressures, with the IMF warning that Belgium’s debt trajectory risks becoming worse than Greece’s without structural reforms. Within the coalition, N-VA generally supports flexi-jobs as a solution to labor shortages, while CD&V’s Budget Minister Vincent Van Peteghem has criticized the system for undermining social security.

What’s Next

The coming weeks will be critical for the future of flexi-jobs in Belgian healthcare. By the end of September, healthcare sector unions and employers must decide whether to file an opt-out request — which would effectively nullify the expansion for care. Minister Gennez may also release funding before that deadline, which could determine whether flexi-jobs become a meaningful tool for addressing staffing shortages in the sector.

For now, healthcare providers across Belgium remain in a holding pattern, legally permitted to hire flexi-jobbers but lacking the financial clarity to do so at scale. The outcome will have significant implications not only for the care sector but for the broader debate over labor flexibility and social protection in Belgium’s welfare state.