17.09.2024

Brussels Airport accounts for 85,000 jobs

With nearly 85,000 direct and indirect jobs, of which 79% are full-time, and significant interregional labour mobility, Brussels Airport continues to be a powerful employment hub.

On Friday 13 September, the results of the new labour market study on Brussels Airport were presented during a press conference at the airport.

This first post-Covid study, commissioned by employment centre Aviato and conducted by HIVA-KU Leuven, confirms that Brussels Airport remains one of the most important and attractive employment hubs in our country.

Together, the many companies operating at our airport offer a wide variety of jobs for all profiles and qualification levels.

85,000 direct and indirect jobs

In 2017 an initial baseline measurement study was conducted. The study that was presented on 13 September is based on data from the fourth quarter of 2022 and paints the situation of the labour market following the Covid years.
This study shows that direct employment has grown by a quarter since 2017 to 29,835 employees working with 335 companies at and around the airport.

The unique labour market at Brussels Airport is composed of three clusters:

The aviation cluster includes air transport and airport handling, accounting for 31.5% (compared to 40.1% in 2017) of the total workforce.
The cluster of other airport-related activities supports the aviation cluster with roles in cargo handling, storage, postal and courier services, security services and industrial cleaning, representing 49.8% (50.4% in 2017) of employees.
The business cluster consists of companies that are located at the airport due to its multimodal accessibility but have no direct link to airport operations. This cluster saw a growth up to 18.7% (compared to 9.5% in 2017) of the total workforce.

Additionally, the study reveals that 54,897 indirect jobs are linked to the airport’s presence, bringing the total number of jobs to 84,732.

1 in 5 employees lives in the Brussels-Capital Region

The study shows an increase in the number of employees from all three regions, with a particularly notable rise in workers from the Brussels-Capital Region.

Of the 29,835 employees, 69% (compared to 74% in 2017) come from the Flemish Region, with 37.5% specifically from Flemish Brabant. Workers also commute from the provinces of Antwerp (16.2%), East Flanders (8.8%), Limburg (4%), and West Flanders (2.6%).
Nearly 1 in 5 employees, or 20% (up from 16% in 2017), hail from the Brussels-Capital Region, primarily from Brussels, Schaerbeek, and Anderlecht.
The Walloon Region provides 11% (up from 10% in 2017) of the workforce.

Over 79% full-time jobs

With 79.2% full-time jobs, up from 72% in 2017, Brussels Airport offers a significantly higher rate of full-time employment. In many sectors within and around the airport, full-time work is indeed the norm.

Among handling companies, the proportion of full-time positions has risen to nearly 70%. Likewise, the passenger transport and hospitality sectors have seen an increase in full-time contracts due to changes in company structures. This challenges the perception of aviation as a labour market dominated by part-time jobs and high staff turnover.

Companies at Brussels Airport are strongly committed to employee retention, making the airport a sustainable workplace offering stability and long-term employment.

Strong driver of growth for the Belgian economy

This HIVA-KU Leuven research demonstrates that Brussels Airport and its surrounding ecosystem generate significant added value and employment. The aviation sector is labour-intensive, contributing to a high level of employment, and continues to be a strong driver of growth for the Belgian economy.

Read our press release for more details.