Brussels Youth Struggle for Jobs Despite Master’s Degrees

Young people in Brussels are finding it increasingly difficult to secure employment, with the number of job seekers under 25 rising by 17 percent compared to last year, according to the latest figures from Actiris. The trend has many highly educated graduates questioning whether a master’s degree still holds value in today’s labor market.

A Generation Struggling to Find Its Footing

Lore, a 24-year-old who earned a Master’s in Applied Economics from the VUB, has applied to roughly 50 positions since April but has been invited to only four interviews. “Those endless rejections are really hard,” she told BRUZZ. “You put so much effort into those motivation letters and then you often don’t even get a reply.”

Rimsha, 24, who holds a Master’s in Film Directing from RITCS, has applied more than 50 times since December with only two interviews to show for it. “It seems like it doesn’t matter anymore that you have a master’s degree,” she said. “Sometimes I apply and I hear that I’m overqualified.”

These personal stories reflect a broader crisis. At the end of July, Actiris counted 97,392 registered job seekers in Brussels, of whom 11 percent were younger than 25. The number of young people in the integration period — the six months after graduation before young people can receive benefits under conditions — has surged by 30 percent.

A Declining Job Market

Nora Ed-Daoui, spokesperson at Actiris, points to multiple factors driving the surge in youth unemployment. “First of all, the economy is doing badly in Belgium,” she told VRT NWS. “Young people without work experience are usually the biggest victims of that, including highly educated young people.”

Job offers in Brussels have been declining for two years, with a 25 percent drop between August 2024 and July 2025. The trend extends beyond the capital: according to HR services group Acerta, 20 percent fewer people under 25 started a permanent job in their first year after graduation compared to 2025 — a 36 percent decline compared to 2022, as VRT NWS reported.

At the Flemish employment agency VDAB, the number of job seekers under 25 has increased by 32.6 percent since 2022, compared to a 24 percent increase for the 25-60 age group.

AI Reshaping Traditional Career Paths

Eva Van Belle, professor of economics at the VUB, identifies the rise of artificial intelligence as a key disruptor. “Sectors that used to be safe places to find a job are changing due to AI,” she explained. “Starter jobs in the ICT sector are disappearing because AI can also program. In the financial sector, many jobs are being automated.”

The numbers support her assessment. In the financial sector, where AI has a major impact, vacancies declined by 31 percent in one year. Belfius reports that 13 percent of all candidates are now under 25, up significantly from 5 percent in 2024.

The Unemployment Benefit Reform Effect

The federal government’s reform limiting unemployment benefits in time has added to the competition. Since January 1, 2026, approximately 99,166 people have lost their benefits, with up to 180,000 expected to lose them by July 2027, according to VRT NWS. Of those who lost benefits, 53 percent applied for social assistance at OCMW — far more than the government’s expected one-third.

In Brussels, the impact has been particularly acute. The number of unemployed people receiving benefits has nearly halved, with a 43.5 percent decline, as BRUZZ reported. Many of these former benefit recipients have re-entered the labor market, intensifying competition for entry-level positions.

A Western-Wide Phenomenon

The struggle of educated youth is not unique to Belgium. According to Oxford Economics, there is more unemployment among 22-27 year olds with university degrees than in the overall labor market. In Europe, there is no longer a difference between the unemployment rate of university graduates and their peers without degrees.

Fons Van Dyck, a communications specialist writing in Knack, captured the sentiment: “A diploma was once a golden ticket to a better future. Today it increasingly seems like a return ticket to uncertainty and frustration.”

What Experts Recommend

Van Belle advises young job seekers to keep gaining experience and not let gaps appear on their CVs. “Do volunteer work or stay with the youth movement,” she suggested. But she also criticizes structural issues: “To policymakers I would give the message to reconsider those unpaid internships and flexi-jobs, because they have an effect on the number of starter jobs.”

Rimsha, who completed three months of unpaid internship after graduating, echoes this concern. “I’m lucky that I still live at home, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to pay rent that way,” she said.

A Question of Value

For many young Brussels residents, the current crisis raises fundamental questions about the value of their education. “Applying for jobs for which I need fewer qualifications, I certainly do, because after a while you start to become desperate,” Lore admitted. “Several friends are in the same situation as me. It feels like there’s incredibly much competition right now.”

Rimsha’s message to employers is simple: “Give young people the chance to gain experience.” She has now signed up for a bicycle mechanic training program, hoping to find work in a trade where skills are still in demand.

As Brussels unemployment rate hovers at 14.6 percent — up 0.31 percentage points year-on-year — and the number of highly educated job seekers at Actiris grows by 11.9 percent annually, the question of what a master’s degree is worth in today’s economy is becoming increasingly urgent for a generation that was told education was the key to success.

What to Watch For

As the unemployment benefit reform continues to unfold through 2027, and as AI continues to reshape traditional employment sectors, the pressure on young graduates is likely to intensify. Whether policymakers will address the structural issues of unpaid internships and flexi-jobs, and whether employers will adapt their hiring practices to give young people a chance, remains to be seen.

For now, thousands of highly educated young people in Brussels continue to send out applications, hoping that their degrees will eventually open doors — and that the current crisis is a temporary setback rather than a permanent shift in the value of higher education.