Do not miss out on the support measures of the German-speaking Community

As of 1 January 2019, the German-speaking Community grants premiums to employers who recruit employees residing in one of its 9 municipalities. Don't miss out on them!

These premiums are called AktiF and AktiF+. They are accessible to Belgian employers in the public and private sectors, with the exception of temporary employment agencies (for temporary workers). The place of establishment of the employer is of no importance.

The amount of the premium is increased if the employee who is employed under an employment contract was previously employed under a training contract in your company.

AktiF

Who opens the right to the AktiF premium?

• The young person under 26 years of age:

- who is not skilled (no advanced secondary school education certificate (‘CESS’)/alternating education) and who has been registered as a non-working job-seeker with the Arbeitsamt (ADG) for 1 year

- who is medium skilled (at most CESS/alternating education) and who has been registered as a non-working job-seeker with the ADG for at least 6 months.

• The person aged 50 and over who has been registered as a jobseeker with the ADG since 1 day and who has lost his job involuntarily;
• The longterm job-seeker, i.e. the job-seeker who has been registered with the ADG as an non-working job-seeker for at least 12 months;
• The person who is the victim of a restructuring:
  • be holder of a 'reduction card restructuring'
  • be registered with the ADG as a jobseeker since 1 day
  • and be medium skilled (maximum CESS/alternating education)  

AktiF+

Who opens the right to the AktiF+ premium?

The recruited person must have to deal with 2 of these 4 obstacles:

• having a reduced ability to work;
• being registered with the ADG as an unemployed jobseeker for at least 2 years;
• being lowskilled (without CESS/alternating education);
• not having the required language level B1, neither in German nor in French.

Strengthening of these support measures

If you have previously employed the person you recruit under an employment contract under a training contract, you can benefit from an increased premium.

By 'training agreement' we mean the PFI, EPU, AIB and alternating learning agreements. The training contract must follow immediately on the employment contract for which you request the premium (weekends and public holidays do not count).

The training contract and the employment contract must be concluded with the same employer.

Amount of the premium

	Amount of the premium	Amount of the increased premium (if contract preceded by training)
AktiF	First 12 months	12 x €500	First 12 months	12 x €500
From the 13th month after the recruitment	12 x €300	From the 13th month after the recruitment	12 x €500
AktiF+	First 12 months	12 x €1000	First 12 months	12 x €1000
From the 13th month after the recruitment	12 x €600	From the 13th month after the recruitment	12 x €1000
From the 25th month after the recruitment	12 x €300	From the 25th month after the recruitment	12 x €600

These amounts shall be proportionated in the case of part-time recruitment.

Procedure

Steps to be taken by the employee

The person you hire must complete the certificate application form available on the ADG website. The ADG must receive this form (completed, signed and including all annexes) no later than the 20th day following the recruitment.

A certificate has a validity term of 4 months. It can only be used for one recruitment.

Particularity for the increased premium

If you wish to benefit from the increased premium when the contract is preceded by a training, the employee must meet the required conditions PRIOR to the start of the training and the certificate must be requested at that time (at the latest 30 days after the start of the training). In that case, the validity of the certificate will not be limited to 4 months.

If you hire an apprentice or a trainee who opens the right to an increased premium, do not forget to ask him to take the necessary steps to obtain his certificate at that moment (and not when you employ him afterwards with an employment contract).

For training contracts running on 1 January 2019, the certificate may be requested outside this period.

Steps to be taken by the employer

You must then send the premium application (= back of the certificate) to the Minister of the German-speaking Community. It must reach the Minister at the latest 45 days after the recruitment.

If your application is accepted, you must also send the following:

• a copy of the employment contract;
• a monthly copy of the salary statement of the employee concerned before the 14th day following the month to which the premium relates.

No premium will be granted if the recruited person was already employed in your company (or a subsidiary) during the previous 12 months.

Cumulation

The AktiF and AktiF+ premiums can be cumulated with the reductions in employers' social security contributions.

 

Entry into force

Recruitments as from 1 January 2019 will open the right to the AktiF and AktiF+ premiums.

Sources:

• Decree of the Germanspeaking Community of 28 May 2018 on the AktiF and AktiF PLUS measure to support employment, Belgian Official Gazette of 10.07.2018;
• Decree of the Germanspeaking Community of 28 May 2018 on the AktiF and AktiF PLUS measure to support employment, Belgian Official Gazette of 30.11.2018.