Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Brussels has 35,000 NEET youth (13.1%), which rose again in 2024. Actiris partners with groups like Artwork and Backstage. Network, spending €1.6M yearly to help them. By 2027, they aim to assist 3,000; last year, 800 received help.
Brussels has 35,000 young people who are NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training). The number of young people aged 15 to 29 who aren’t working, studying, or learning new skills rose again.
Officials mentioned that they have different problems and backgrounds. But they all don’t trust the government or other organisations. Actiris, Brussels’ employment agency, is assisting them in collaboration with other organizations. They want to get 3,000 of these jobs by 2027. They are giving each young person special help to overcome their problems.
Even though they’re making progress, there are still more NEET young people in Brussels than in Flanders. They mentioned that we need to make big changes to create better opportunities and help for these young people so they can have a good future.
Hanne De Valck, partnership manager at Actiris says,
“That ranges from family problems and substance abuse to housing problems and mental problems. We have seen the latter two in particular emerge more often since the Covid period. The number of Neet youth has fallen sharply in recent years, but the problems they face are more severe.”
How will Actiris help 35,000 NEET Youth in Brussels by 2027?
Actiris doesn’t have a lot of experience helping NEET youth. So, they’ve been working with other groups for a few years. These groups, like Artwork, Backstage. Networks and others all have different ways of helping young people.
Some groups go out and talk to young people where they live. Others reach out to parents through health centers to find young people who need help. They mentioned that more NEET youth can get help, no matter what their situation is. Actiris spends 1.6 million euros every year on these partnerships.
Last year, 800 young people got help through these programs. 37% of them got jobs or started school. Actiris wants to help even more young people. They’re going to work with the same groups and try to reach more young people. This way, they hope to help more young people find jobs and get an education. They want to reduce the number of young people who aren’t working or going to school in Brussels.
In Brussels, the number of NEET young people has gone down a lot in the last 20 years but rose again in 2024. In 2000, 25.5% of young people in Brussels were NEET. Now, 13.1% are NEET, which is about 35,000 people. This is about the same as in Wallonia, but Flanders has a much lower NEET rate.
Officials said that such things as programs and policies to assist youth in getting jobs or attending school have been effective. But despite these improvements, there are still many young people in Brussels who do not work or attend school.
