NL
ENEmploying in Belgium
Recruit Filipino professionals for the Flemish labour market
SkillShift helps employers first assess whether a vacancy can realistically be filled through economic migration. Once the route is feasible, we can combine recruitment in the Philippines with the preparation and coordination of the Belgian combined permit and the required Philippine DMW documentation and pre-departure requirements.
Employment structure
Direct employment and cross-border secondment are not the same
Under the Flemish intermediate-skilled migration-list route, the professional is employed directly by the Belgian employer. Secondment is not permitted within that specific route.
In Belgium, secondment usually refers to a foreign employer temporarily providing an employee across borders. Such an international structure can be possible in certain situations, but it needs its own legal basis and a separate assessment of matters such as authority, employment conditions, the Limosa declaration, work authorisation and the residence route.
SkillShift therefore first assesses whether direct Belgian employment or a legally permitted cross-border structure fits the actual deployment.
We assess feasibility first
Before recruitment starts, SkillShift assesses whether the vacancy fits within one of the relevant Flemish economic migration categories.
This assessment includes:
- Occupation
- Qualification level
- Candidate experience
- Applicable salary and employment conditions
- Applicable joint committee / classification where relevant
- Whether the occupation is on the Flemish migration list
- Whether another shortage occupation route may apply
- Whether a local labour-market search is required
- Whether direct employment by the Belgian employer is compatible with the applicable category
The objective is to determine feasibility before significant time and money is spent recruiting candidates.
If the vacancy appears feasible, SkillShift can then coordinate the route from vacancy preparation through recruitment and preparation of the permit file.
Occupations on the Flemish migration list
Flanders maintains an official migration list of intermediate-skilled functions for which a structural labour shortage has already been established. For a role appearing on this list:
- a structural shortage is presumed
- the employer does not first need to demonstrate through an individual local recruitment search that no suitable candidate can be found
- the application can fall under the dedicated intermediate-skilled migration-list category
This does not mean there are no requirements. The employee, job, qualifications, employment conditions and file still need to meet the applicable requirements. SkillShift therefore first verifies that the actual duties and profile correspond sufficiently to the listed occupation before recruitment starts.
The Flemish migration list is not the same as the general VDAB shortage occupation list.
Other shortage occupations
A profession not appearing on the migration list is not necessarily excluded from economic migration. For certain intermediate-skilled occupations, an application may be possible under the "Other" category when the occupation appears on the applicable VDAB shortage occupation list and the additional labour-market requirements are satisfied.
In these cases a more individual assessment is required. The employer may need to demonstrate genuine efforts to recruit locally and cooperate with VDAB. Current Flemish rules can require publication of the vacancy and evidence relating to the inability to find suitable local candidates.
SkillShift assesses this before recruitment starts and can help prepare the vacancy and required supporting file when the route is realistic.
The migration list and the VDAB shortage occupation list are not the same
The migration list contains intermediate-skilled occupations for which the Flemish government already recognises a structural shortage for economic migration purposes.
The VDAB shortage occupation list is broader and serves another purpose.
When a profession is only on the VDAB list, additional labour-market requirements may still apply before economic migration is possible.
The Belgian single permit
For employment of a third-country national in Belgium for more than 90 days, a combined authorisation for work and residence — commonly called the single permit — will generally be required. The exact legal category depends on the role and employee profile.
SkillShift can support the employer from the initial feasibility assessment through preparation and coordination of the application. This support can include:
- Assessing the applicable category
- Reviewing the vacancy and employment conditions
- Checking candidate qualifications and experience
- Coordinating employer and candidate documents
- Preparing the employment-related documentation
- Checking consistency of the complete file
- Preparing and coordinating the single permit application
- Following up on requests relating to the application
SkillShift is not simply forwarding documents. The objective is to build a coherent application file in which the vacancy, employee profile and applicable migration category fit together.
Philippine DMW documentation and pre-departure requirements
The Belgian permit is not the end of the procedure
A Belgian single permit addresses the Belgian side of employment and residence. For a professional recruited in the Philippines, the Philippine overseas employment rules must also be met before departure. The Department of Migrant Workers regulates recruitment, documentation and the requirements before departure.
In simple terms, the worker must be correctly documented for overseas employment and meet the applicable requirements for matters such as contract review, insurance, medical fitness, orientation and departure clearance. This matters because Philippine departure formalities distinguish between ordinary travellers and Overseas Filipino Workers travelling abroad to take up employment.
Incomplete overseas employment documentation can prevent lawful departure for work and cause problems at departure.
SkillShift's Belgian entity is registered with the DMW as a Foreign Recruitment Agency for Belgium.
This allows SkillShift to connect the Belgian single permit route with the Philippine DMW documentation and pre-departure requirements.
We assess the vacancy first
Before starting recruitment, SkillShift can assess the position, qualifications, salary conditions and applicable migration category to determine whether recruitment from the Philippines is realistically possible.
Discuss a Belgian vacancy