The total wage costs – the wages and allowances that employers pay to employees – are estimated at 145 billion euros in the Flemish Region for this year, an increase of 9 percent compared to 2021. This is evident from figures from Flanders Statistics.
The wage bill in Flanders has increased continuously in recent years. The Covid-19 crisis did cause a decline in economic activity in 2020. This was also reflected in the wages paid, which were lower in that year than in 2019.