WhitePapers
Labour market and employment
For a more resilient Brussels
#WhitePaper Brussels is facing a sharp, rapid and massive increase in the number of jobseekers. To prevent this situation from continuing over the long term, we need to take swift action on labour market conditions. Firstly, we need to act quickly to get new jobseekers back to work as quickly as possible. Secondly, there will be no matching between a job seeker and a job that does not exist. The challenge is to create jobs that do not exist today in lower-skilled positions by reducing market conditions (in particular employers' charges on low salaries). In addition, we need to focus on the qualifications of jobseekers. When choosing training, we need to steer them towards jobs that require them, with a particular focus on STEM and IT profiles. The 3 pillars of this strategy are therefore: making the labour market more flexible, providing qualifications in occupations that require commitment and guiding people towards the sectors of the future.
A rapid return to employment in the Brussels-Capital Region must be a priority in order to relieve the pressure on the Public Centres for Social Welfare and the ranks of the unemployed, and to encourage recovery by restoring purchasing power.
Digitalisation
For a more resilient Brussels
#WhitePaper Two major trends were observed during the period of confinement: the explosion in teleworking and e-commerce. Suddenly, millions of workers found themselves at home trying to pursue their income-generating activities, sometimes under difficult conditions due to the configuration of their home or family structure. At the same time, the closure of most shops made their lives particularly difficult. Only the power of telecommunications networks has enabled them to maintain the social contact that is so precious.
Technology can be used to improve the quality of life and the environment in all its aspects: health, cleanliness, traffic, safety, etc. The capital must make full use of the possibilities offered by the knowledge economy. Citizens can be massively trained in new technologies thanks to a proactive and widespread policy of training and continuing education in the digital field. Networks make it possible to work from home and in decentralised workspaces close to intermodal hubs.