Demand for temporary employment grew 4.1% in Belgium during the fourth quarter ended December 2017 when compared to the same period in the previous year, according to figures from Federgon, the Belgian Federation of Staffing Agencies.

Growth was seen in both the blue-collar and white-collar worker segments during Q4 2017. Among regions, the largest growth in Q4 2017 was seen in Wallonia, which was up 6.2%. 

Demand from the Recruitment, Search & Selection increased 15.7% when compared to the previous year. Demand in the Interim Management market grew by 13.9%. The project sourcing sector saw an increase of 11.4% compared to the previous year. Learning & Development activities saw a decrease of 6.0% when compared to the previous year. Federgon also reported that the outplacement sector saw a decrease of 15.7%.

The latest Eurostat figures showed the unemployment rate in Belgium stood at 6.6% in January.