Stib offers €500 bonus to help recruit more women

Staff working for the Stib are to be offered a €500 bonus if they can encourage a woman to join the company.

Nine out of 10 Stib employees are male - and the Brussels public transport operator wants the percentage of women in the workforce to exceed the 12.5% mark.

The bonus will be paid if a worker encourages a woman to apply for a job - and she is recruited and stays in the role for at least six months.

La Capitale newspaper says the referral scheme should come into force next month. The Stib declined to comment further.

Laetitia Genin, coordinator of the women's association Vie Féminine, said cash incentives are not enough and the Stib should take a closer look at how to improve the working environment to attract more women. She said: "The real question is: why are women not applying to work at the Stib?"

Meanwhile, the SNCB has launched a new recruitment drive. It is looking to hire 1,600 employees this year, including train drivers, conductors and technicians. A careers train is touring 15 Belgian stations to provide candidates with more information.