German-speaking community: the changing landscape of employment support measures

The German-speaking Community will start its employment support policy on 1 January 2019. Some federal measures will be abolished. Other regional measures will be introduced.

We detail here the federal measures repealed by the German-speaking Community. Its new employment support measures will be analysed in future Infoflashes.

ACTIVA PLAN MEASURE

The target group reduction of social security contributions and the activation of unemployment benefits granted under the Activa Plan will be repealed as from 1 January 2019.

Transitional measure

The current benefits relating to an employee who was recruited by 31 December 2018 at the latest will continue to be granted until they expire.

Note that the Activa Plan for the recruitment of prevention and security agents (Activa APS/PVP) has already been repealed since 1 January 2018.

YOUNG EMPLOYEES MEASURE

The 'Young Employees' target group reduction of social security contributions and the ‘Activa start’ activation (for an amount of 350 EUR/month) will be repealed as from 1 January 2019.

Transitional measure

The current benefits relating to an employee who was recruited by 31 December 2018 at the latest will continue to be granted until they expire.

RESTRUCTURING MEASURE

The ‘Restructuring’ target group reduction of employer’s social security contributions will be repealed on 01 January 2019.

Transitional measure

If you benefit from this reduction for an employee recruited by 31 December 2018 at the latest, you will continue to benefit from it until it expires.

The regionalisation of the employment support does not apply to the 'Restructuring’ reduction of employer’s social security contributions. This will therefore remain unchanged in its current federal form.

OLDER EMPLOYEES MEASURE

The federal measure became regional on 01 January 2018.

Are entitled to a reduction of social security contributions, employers who:

• belong to category 1 of the structural reduction;
• who employ in the German-speaking Community an employee aged 54 or over with a reference quarterly wage not exceeding the cap of 13,942.47 EUR per quarter

With effect from 01 January 2019:

• the minimum age of 54 will be raised to 55;
• the reduction will end the quarter following the quarter in which the employee reaches the legal retirement age.

The reduction of employer’s social security contributions amounts to:

The reduction is only granted if the employee performs actual work during the quarter concerned, except in the case of legal suspensions or exemption from benefits during a period of notice.

Transitional measure

Employees who are eligible for this reduction on 31 December 2018 will continue to benefit from this measure up to a maximum of 300 EUR/quarter until the last day of the quarter preceding the quarter in which they reach the age of 55.

PTP/DSP MEASURE

The ‘PTP/DSP Career Bridging Programme’ measure has been repealed in the German-speaking Community since 1 October 2016.

SINE MEASURE

The Sine measure has not (yet) been repealed in the German-speaking Community but presumably will be as from 01 January 2019.

Source: Decree on the AktiF and AktiF PLUS measure to support employment, Belgian Official Gazette of 10.07.2018.