Forthcoming policy developments

Wallonia 

In 2025, the Government approved a reform aimed at replacing the numerous existing employment subsidies (such as the “Impulsion” and “Tremplin” bonuses) with a single, digitalized, and simplified mechanism. This “single hiring bonus” will be available to employers who recruit individuals considered “far from the labor market” — in particular, young people under 25 after four months of registration with Forem, as well as long-term unemployed individuals.

Ongoing debates

In 2024, the Youth Forum explored the theme of well-being at work: how do young people feel in their jobs? What are their priorities? What obstacles have they already encountered? And what about remote work?

After consulting 1,064 young people aged 16 to 30 across the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, the Youth Forum released a new Official Opinion: “Rise with Happiness: Does Your Job Take Care of You?”

This Official Opinion provides, among other things, statistics on young people’s perceptions of well-being at work in Belgium, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and their views on remote work. These figures are complemented by numerous testimonials from young people collected during interviews.