“Working poor” increasing in Belgium

It seems that not matter how hard many people work, getting ahead for some is becoming more difficult. New figures show that the number of workers in need of government subsidies to reach a living wage is increasing. Belgium’s Federal Public Service Social Security reports that nearly 6,000 people with jobs are receiving financial help. Although these figures are much higher in neighbouring countries, they are significant in Belgium where there is a set minimum wage.

Among the 6,000 so-called “working poor,” women outnumber men, and close to half the total have children. For many of these workers, almost all of the jobs are found in the private sector, such as catering, small business, cleaning services, and the social and cultural sector.