Key takeaways
- Unemployment is managed by the ONEM; benefits are paid by the CAPAC or a trade union of your choice.
- To qualify: be involuntarily unemployed, registered as a jobseeker, available and prove enough working days.
- Benefits are degressive, and a federal reform frames their duration: check with the ONEM.
- The tremplin-indépendants scheme lets you test a self-employed activity while keeping part of your benefits.
Losing your job is a hardship, but in Belgium a safety net exists: unemployment benefits. You still have to understand who manages what, which conditions to meet and how to submit your application. The system, managed by the ONEM, also evolves with reforms. This article takes stock of how unemployment works, the conditions, the steps, and a scheme worth knowing: the tremplin-indépendants, which lets you move from unemployment to a self-employed activity.
How unemployment works in Belgium
Unemployment refers to the situation of a person fit for work, willing to work, but temporarily without a job. They can then claim a replacement benefit, intended to cover their needs during their search.
The system rests on a division of roles. The ONEM (National Employment Office) oversees the regulation and rules on entitlement. The payment is provided by a payment body chosen by the beneficiary: the CAPAC (Auxiliary Fund for the Payment of Unemployment Benefits), a public body, or one of the trade unions (CSC, FGTB, CGSLB). Finally, support towards employment is handled by the regional services: the Forem, the VDAB, Actiris or the ADG depending on the Region.
The conditions to receive benefits
Entitlement to benefits is not automatic. Several cumulative conditions must be met.
The main conditions
Be involuntarily deprived of work
The job loss must not result from an unjustified voluntary departure or serious misconduct.
Be registered as a jobseeker
With the competent regional employment service depending on your Region.
Prove enough working days
A minimum number of days of salaried work over a reference period, varying with age.
Be available and actively seeking
Being fit, available for the labour market and taking job-search steps.
These conditions vary by profile. Young people leaving their studies can, under conditions, claim insertion benefits (allocations d'insertion) after a professional insertion internship, distinct from the ordinary benefits based on a work history.
The steps to submit your application
Obtaining your benefits means following the steps in the right order.
- 1
Register as a jobseeker
With the Forem, the VDAB, Actiris or the ADG depending on your Region, as soon as the contract ends.
- 2
Choose a payment body
The CAPAC or a trade union, which will handle your file and pay your benefits.
- 3
Submit the file
Gather the required documents, including the employer's end-of-contract form, and file the application.
- 4
ONEM decision
The body forwards the file to the ONEM, which checks the conditions and rules on entitlement to benefits.
From unemployment to self-employment: the tremplin-indépendants
Unemployment can also be a starting point. Many people use this period to launch a project of their own. The tremplin-indépendants scheme is made for this: it allows you, for a limited period, to carry out an accessory self-employed activity while keeping part of your benefits.
Moving from jobseeker status to self-employed status is a frequent step. It is better to prepare it: choice of status, registration with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, social affiliation and, often, domiciliation of the activity.
Move from unemployment to your own activity
CBE registration, social status and office: Monsiegesocial sets up your self-employed activity and secures your starting steps.
Going further
- Becoming self-employed in Belgium, to prepare the move to a self-employed activity.
- Creating a company in Belgium: the steps, if your project takes the form of a company.
- Access to the profession in Belgium, to know what you need, or not, to start.
