The number of hours worked by temporary agency workers in Belgium recorded a decrease of 8.27% in October 2023 when compared to the same period a year ago, according to calendar-basis adjusted data from Federgon, the Belgian federation of staffing agencies.

The 8.27% decrease was attributed to a year-on-year fall in activity of 6.99% in the blue-collar segment, and a decline of 9.94% in the white-collar segment.

Among regions, Flanders reported an annual decline of 9.99% in October. Broken down, by segment, the white-collar segment saw an annual decrease of 12.44% while the blue-collar segment fell by 8.30%.

The Wallonia region recorded a dip of 5.74% The white-collar segment saw an annual decrease of 4.97% and the blue-collar segment was down 6.20%.

Brussels recorded a decrease of 3.84% over the year. The white-collar segment saw a fall of 7.70% but the blue-collar segment reported an increase of 6.49%.

In October 2023, the number of hours of temporary work performed decreased by 0.12% compared to the previous month (based on figures adjusted for seasonal and calendar influences). This decline can be attributed to a fall in both segments: the number of hours worked decreased by 0.09% in the blue-collar segment and by 0.39% in the white-collar segment.

The Federgon index reached 92.21 points in October 2023 compared to 92.32 points the month before. The index shows the level of activity in the month under review compared to the activity in January 2007 (base 100), based on seasonally adjusted figures.

By region, Flanders saw a slight dip of 0.52% in October on a monthly basis. Broken down, by segment, the white-collar segment saw a monthly fall of 0.55% while the blue-collar segment fell by 0.60%.

Wallonia reported an uptick of 0.59% over the month in October. The white-collar segment recorded an increase of 0.19% while the blue-collar segment reported an increase of 0.70%.

Brussels reported an increase of 0.49% in October when compared to the prior month. The white-collar segment reported a decrease of 0.01% in October while the blue-collar segment saw an uptick of 1.75%.

“In the month of October, temporary employment activity showed signs of stabilisation, although still well below its usual level (and down 8.27% compared to the same period last year). This development undeniably reflects the challenges in the current economy,” Paul Verschueren, Federgon’s director research & economic affairs, said.