Salaries and Working Conditions in Belgium

As a foreigner preparing to move abroad to Belgium to take up employment you may be a bit apprehensive and wondering what you can expect while working abroad in a new country. Working in Belgium will see you earning a salary that is considered to be above average in Europe, with the exception of Germany and France. Germany and France are the only countries in Western Europe where the salaries are higher than they are in Belgium.

While you will likely experience a higher salary in Belgium than what you are used to you will also probably experience higher taxes in Belgium than what you are used to. Especially if you are from the United Kingdom or the United States you will think that the taxes in Belgium are rather high. This is something that should be considered carefully when you are looking over an employment contract and considering the salary that you will need to love comfortably in Belgium. Also note that if you receive benefits that are not money but things such as a company car, interest free loans or school fees as a benefit then those items are considered part of your taxable income in Belgium.

In Belgium salary increases are not based on your performance and experience but instead are controlled by a collective bargaining agreement. Salary increases are also determined by local cost of living increases. Typically your salary in Belgium will depend upon your age. You will rarely see a salary amount in a job advertisement but instead will see a desired age range, which in turn tells you how much the salary will be.

Salary in Belgium is paid monthly and when you get your employment contract you will notice that a year of salary is paid in 13 months. This is because companies pay out a 13^th month as a bonus. Some companies also pay a 14^th month's salary as well. The 14^th month bonus is typically paid as a Christmas bonus.

Something that is unique to Belgium, which you will notice in your employment contract, is the holiday or vacation bonus. As a working in Belgium you are entitled to a vacation bonus of 85 percent of a month's salary. This bonus is paid when you take your vacation time. Typically this amount is already included in your salary amount. To see what the amount is, take a 13 month salary and divide by 13.85 or take a 14 month salary and divide by 14.85.

Most companies in Belgium also have a profit sharing or performance bonus that they give employees. It is not uncommon for this to not be in your employment contract as the pay out of it is based on the performance of the company.

Working hours in Belgium vary according to your company and the industry it is in. The standard work week in Belgium is no longer than 39 hours. If you work over that you should get overtime pay. Typically thought you will work between 35 and 38 hours a week.

Flexi-time is something that you will see a lot of in Belgium. Typically with flexi-time employees are required to be in the office between 8:30 am to 11:30 am and between 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. The rest of the required working hours can be worked at the employee's discretion. Work time is limited to 11 hours per day in Belgium.