Belgian construction sector employs 100,000 foreign workers

In 2014, there were 101,172 registered foreign workers in the construction sector in Belgium. That is nearly a fivefold increase compared with eight years ago, when 23,962 foreign construction workers were registered, reports Le Soir based on figures from the National Social Security Office (NSSO). Taking into account the self-employed, the industry employs a total of nearly 200,000 foreign workers.

There has also been a sharp increase over the last two years in the number of posted workers in the sector, those who are employed in one EU Member State but sent to Belgium by their employer to carry out work on a temporary basis. The total number of posted workers increased in this same period by about one-third.

The majority of foreign construction workers in Belgium come from the Netherlands, followed by Poland, Germany, France and Luxembourg.