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Working in Belgium and hiring foreign workers
Hiring foreign workers is a win-win operation. On the one hand, it enables qualified people to practice the trade they want in Belgium, and on the other, it enables employers who are ambitious or struggling to recruit staff to find the right profile. At present, there is no real economic migration policy in our country, just disparate regional rules (as usual). As the issue of international mobility in the workplace receives very little media coverage, it is often overlooked by companies.
There are many preconceived ideas about the employment of foreign workers, notably that of the lack of skills of foreign workers from the global South, which is false in practice. Over time, many entrepreneurs have opened up the field of possibilities beyond the Mediterranean and have been able to identify real nuggets who contribute daily to the growth of their businesses and, by extension, to our country's economy and workforce. Let's take a look at how recruiting international talent can be a real game changer in a global equilibrium in transition.
Foreign workers... In what sector?
Belgium, like other European countries, is facing a shortage of talent in certain key sectors such asIT, construction, care professions (personal assistance, medical and paramedical), the hospitality sector, agriculture and logistics. According to recent Statbel data, foreign workers play a major role in the Belgian economy, occupying key positions in these fields.
Some might legitimately ask, why hire foreign workers when there are so many unemployed Belgians? To be honest, the answer is just as complex as the question itself; it's multi-factorial.
As far as the professions in short supply are concerned, it may be that the ageing population on our soil is no longer able to carry out certain jobs, or sometimes doesn't plan to carry them out, due to the precariousness associated with these positions (staggered working hours or breaks, pay limited to the pay scale, poor work-life balance, etc.).
Beyond these initial explanations, there are others that are much more rooted in reality. Foreign workers are for the most part multilingual, they put their professional activity first due to fewer emotional attachments, and generally have a wealth of practical professional experience.
How do you recruit foreign workers?
Recruiting staff is a profession in itself, but recruiting foreign workers is even more so. Where do you find these candidates? How do you check their qualifications? How can we ensure that diplomas are equivalent? What formalities must be completed to allow foreign workers to move? These are just some of the questions you might ask yourself if you've decided to recruit international talent. But don't panic!
We're not going to sell you a dream: it's not easy to find profiles that match your requirements if you don't have a contact person in the worker's country of origin.
That's one of the reasons why we take great care to weave a solid web in the global south, enabling foreign workers and employers to be put in touch through us. We regularly receive unsolicited applications from individuals who contact us to build a mobility project in Belgium, but not only. In fact, we are fortunate to have reliable connections in several countries, enabling us to get in touch with tomorrow's talent before anyone else.
What are the administrative formalities for hiring a foreign worker?
Is there more red tape when hiring a foreign worker? Not really. In fact, the only additional administrative formalities to be completed are those relating to the visa required for your future recruit to arrive in Belgium.
In fact, for nationals from outside the European Union and the EEA, a visa is required to cross the border. Once this formality has been completed, the visa affixed to the traveler's passport becomes a residence permit, allowing the foreign worker to reside legally in the kingdom.
When it comes to work, companies often use what could be described as a 2-in-1 visa, which combines a residence permit and a work permit: the single permit.
