Flexi-Jobs Expand to New Sectors as Security Sector Surges

Belgium’s flexible employment model is gaining ground in new industries, with the security and surveillance sector emerging as a standout performer during the summer festival season. New data from HR services firm SD Worx shows that flexi-jobs, which were expanded to virtually all sectors on July 1, are growing at 23 percent year-on-year, according to VRT NWS.

A System in Expansion

The flexi-job system, introduced in 2015 for the hospitality sector, was designed to allow workers and pensioners to earn extra income without paying taxes or social contributions on that income. Since July 1, the system has been extended to nearly all sectors, with individual sectors able to opt out through their joint committees. Non-retired workers can now earn up to 18,440 euros per year tax-free, while pensioners face no earnings cap, as VRT NWS reported on the July 1 changes.

The expansion builds on a system that has already proven remarkably popular. In 2025, a record 261,868 workers or pensioners combined their status with a flexi-job, a 14 percent increase from the previous year, according to data from the National Social Security Office (RSZ). Nearly 53,000 companies used flexi-jobbers, also up 12 percent, as VRT NWS detailed.

Security Sector Stands Out

Since the July expansion, the security and surveillance sector has appeared for the first time in flexi-job figures, with flexi-jobbers averaging nearly 60 hours per month—roughly seven days of work. Steven Rosseel, sector manager at SD Worx, attributes this growth to the summer festival season. “It probably has to do with the festival season. Then there is more demand for work in the security sector,” he told VRT NWS.

Rosseel noted that festivals are typically organized on weekends, creating peak demand for security personnel. He expects employment in the sector to decline once the festival season ends. “In the other sectors, we’ll have to see whether this becomes structural,” he said.

The security sector presents a unique case because security agents require specific training and legal recognition to practice the profession. “That training requires a significant investment in time and resources,” Rosseel explained. “Therefore, it seems less likely that workers would get trained specifically to only do a flexi-job.” Most flexi-jobbers in this sector likely already work as security agents in their main job and supplement their hours through the flexi-job system.

Beyond Traditional Sectors

About 10 percent of the growth in flexi-job contracts now comes from newly allowed sectors, while more than 90 percent still comes from sectors where flexi-jobs were already possible, such as hospitality, retail, and food. Rosseel describes the expansion as primarily a broadening of choice. “There is mainly a broadening of the offering. Workers can now choose from a wide range,” he said.

Other new sectors showing growth include metal, machine, and electrical construction, cleaning services, and the chemical industry. Rosseel noted that these workers typically fill supporting roles rather than hazardous positions. “Not everyone wants to work in a hospitality venue or shop,” he said. “The advantage for these workers is that the number of jobs is much broader.”

The flexi-job phenomenon remains heavily concentrated in Flanders, with more than 8 out of 10 flexi-jobbers being Flemish. Most flexi-jobbers hold full-time jobs, with more than 8 out of 10 employed at least 95 percent, according to RSZ data cited by VRT NWS.

The Growing Debate

Despite its popularity, the flexi-job system faces mounting criticism. Trade unions and some government officials have raised concerns about displacement of regular jobs and costs to social security. ACV president Ann Vermorgen has been a vocal critic, arguing that “flexi-jobs increasingly displace regular jobs, hollow out social security and cost the treasury millions.”

A leaked study by the Court of Audit (Rekenhof) and the Federal Planning Bureau found “first indications that flexi-jobs displace regular jobs in the hospitality sector,” though researchers noted the effects were “limited in intensity and duration,” as VRT NWS reported. Employer organization UNIZO pushed back, noting that “the researchers themselves speak of limited effects and outside the hospitality sector do not have sufficient data to draw broad conclusions.”

Finance Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA) has opened the door to debate, suggesting that “maybe it should be examined whether flexi-jobs involve cannibalization of normal employment.” Labor economist Stijn Baert of Ghent University highlights the inequality concern: “The disadvantage for me is the person who, next to the flexi-jobber, does the same work but pays normal contributions.”

What’s Next

As the flexi-job system continues to expand into new sectors, the key question is whether the growth seen during the summer months will become structural. Rosseel expects the security sector to cool off after festival season, but other sectors may show more sustained growth. The flexi-jobs’ share of total work performance has already tripled from 0.27 percent in 2023 to 0.85 percent in 2025, according to Partena Professional data.

With the government facing budget pressures and the system costing an estimated 500 million euros per year in lost revenue, the debate over flexi-jobs is far from settled. As UNIZO argues in its defense of the system, flexi-jobs represent less than one percent of total hours worked and provide a practical solution for employers facing labor shortages. The coming months will reveal whether the expansion delivers on its promise of flexibility without undermining the regular labor market.