Most of whom lost Job last year is starting again: “There are still a lot of opportunities”

Such as Mehmet Keskin (48), who lost his job with around 500 colleagues last year after eight years as a worker at Sappi. “You really wish nobody,” says Mehmet today. “It was the second time I experienced it after the closure at Ford. That is just particularly difficult. “

Also for Carla Fransen (52) there was a new reality overnight. “I had worked at Sabam for 17 years, in various positions, but I finally became a project manager. Last year I received the message that my position stopped existing and that there was no room for me anymore, a smoke. I had not seen it coming, I had already decided in my head that I would work there until my retirement. “

Both Mehmet and Carla ended up in an outplacement process from Randstad Risesmart. Randstad Risesmart, the market leader in outplacement, supervised more than 4,200 people last year. “An increase that could also be felt for our services,” says An Delombaerde, director at Randstad Risesmart. 81 percent of whom was fired individually found a job again. For people who lost their job in a collective dismissal or bankruptcy, the success rate is slightly lower, at 74 percent. “And that is mainly due to the duration of a process. Individual dismissals receive a year, while for others it is limited to three or six months, depending on the age. The analysis that we made clearly show that a longer guidance leads a little more often to sustainable employment. ”

Manufacturing industry

Randstad Risesmart notes that in today’s labor market people are getting to work faster and faster. That’s how it took an average of 135 days. But clichés remain standing: the younger, the faster. “The lead time was the longest among people over 50 with an average of 147 days. But that is also lower than the average of the past five years, 60 is really the new 50. That longer lead time is not illogical, because people also go through a grieving process. Such a dismissal after twenty or thirty years of service or a collective dismissal is particularly heavy. But we have to emphasize that there are still a lot of opportunities. “

“I’ve always been fascinated by machines and I have therefore quickly decided to follow a training as a maintenance technician”

Mehmet Keskin (48)

But there the shoe pinches: despite the firedages, there are still a lot of vacancies that are not filled. “There is often a mismatch, that’s right,” says Delombaerde. “We also see that certain profiles are increasingly difficult to stay in the same sector. For example, in the manufacturing industry, jobs are really disappearing and people who lose their job there can often hardly be different than really retraining. ”

That was also a foregone conclusion for Mehmet. “I have always been fascinated by machines and I have therefore quickly decided to follow a training to maintain technician. After what I have experienced, I also look at job security and maintenance technicians are always needed. For example, I did an internship in the ZOL Hospital for a while. There you can constantly solve something, from a refrigerator that is converting to the conversion of the lighting to LED. It is a super diverse job that I really like to do. Today I am applying, but without experience it remains difficult to convince recruiters. That’s a pity. But I don’t give up: I am looking for a place where I can really come home. I think that’s important. “

Funeral sector

Carla also soon opted for a completely different career path. “I wanted to continue working at a high level and also work more with people. I ended up with funeral director DELA. Something completely different, but it meets all my criteria. Because DELA also provides for my own training, I never really stayed at home, I could get started almost immediately. I am really good at that and now I work out the farewell ceremony with relatives. I get a lot of satisfaction from it. “

“I ended up with funeral director DELA. Something completely different, but it meets all my criteria ”

Carla Fransen (52)

An Delombaerde van Randstad is not shocked either. “Many people use such a resignation, no matter how painful, to really reflect on what they still want in life today. And then regularly the decision to choose something else falls. Our people then try to shape it as much as possible. Whether it is a new career or starting an independent activity. ”