The VDAB Flemish employment service handed out 15,800 sanctions last year. This is according to figures from the Flemish MP Ine Tombeur (N-VA). It is an increase of 13 percent in two years.
Most sanctions were imposed for job seekers who did not show up for an appointment. That was the case in 8,375 files. Other reasons for a sanction were a negative evaluation of the process that has already been completed (4,526 sanctions) or the refusal of a job offer (1,412 sanctions).
Especially East Flanders and Antwerp
Most sanctions were issued in the provinces of East Flanders (4,588) and Antwerp (4,036). This was followed by West Flanders (2,876), Flemish Brabant (2,573) and Limburg (1,727).
“Flanders has the ambitious objective of achieving an efficacy of 80 percent,” says Tombeur. “Today we are at around 78 percent. Everyone who can work has to work. Only in this way can we continue to finance our welfare state. So VDAB has to work. Those who do not cooperate should bear the consequences.”