The number of hours worked by temporary agency workers in Belgium recorded an uptick of 0.43% in December 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 0.43% increase was attributed to a year-on-year fall of 1.55% in the blue-collar segment and an increase of 2.82% in the white-collar segment.

Among regions, Flanders reported an annual decline of 2.91% in December. Broken down, by segment, the white-collar segment saw an annual decrease of 2.48% while the blue-collar segment fell by 3.23%.

The Wallonia region recorded an increase of 4.18%. This was attributed to an uptick in the white-collar segment of 11.22%. However, the blue-collar segment was down 0.48%.

Brussels recorded an increase of 11% over the year. The white-collar segment saw an increase of 9.75% while the blue-collar segment reported an increase of 14.80%.

On a monthly basis, the number of hours of temporary work performed in December increased by 2.06% (based on figures adjusted for seasonal and calendar influences). The improvement was due to an increase in both segments including a 3.29% uptick in the number of hours worked increased in the blue-collar segment and an increase of 0.92% in the white-collar segment.

By region, Flanders recorded growth of 1.01% in December on a monthly basis. Broken down, by segment, the white-collar segment saw a monthly dip of 0.94% while the blue-collar segment grew by 2.71%.

Wallonia reported an increase of 2.56% over the month in December. The white-collar segment recorded an increase of 2.12% while the blue-collar segment reported an increase of 2.66%.

Meanwhile, Brussels reported growth of 5.28% in December when compared to the prior month. The white-collar segment reported an increase of 6.59% in December while the blue-collar segment saw a surge of 8.15%.

The Federgon index reached 93.39 points in December 2023 compared to 91.51 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.