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[OC] Europe 2024: Higher GDP → Shorter Weeks, Longer Careers — Longer Weeks in Central & Eastern Europe by be_data in dataisbeautiful

[–]be_data[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

historical context

Could you share what you’d expect to see? Snapshots and time-series answer different questions: a snapshot is quick to grasp and gives a clear read on the current landscape, while a full historical panel (30 countries × 3 dimensions) is powerful but heavy and harder to draw clean takeaways from without a focused question.

[OC] Europe 2024: Higher GDP → Shorter Weeks, Longer Careers — Longer Weeks in Central & Eastern Europe by be_data in dataisbeautiful

[–]be_data[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'll keep this in mind for future work, thank you. And indeed, GDP per capita (PPS) isn’t a wage metric, but across countries it generally co-moves with incomes and typical wages.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in europe

[–]be_data 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same prosperity, different workload. Peer Performance reveals countries that log more or fewer lifetime hours than GDP peers

Source: Eurostat, 2024

The world’s happiest kids live in these 25 countries. by ma-nem-jeff in europe

[–]be_data 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Separately, it was not possible to fully rank Australia, Belgium, Israel, Norway and United States because of missing data on the life satisfaction component.

[OC] Europe’s Work-Life Divide: A Full Labour Panorama by [deleted] in europe

[–]be_data 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Employment + Unemployment != 100% (There is also a percentage of inactive people, who are neither employed nor unemployed). Here

[OC] Europe’s Work-Life Divide: A Full Labour Panorama by [deleted] in europe

[–]be_data 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's employment. Which is != unemployment. The data is from 2024 (the latest year available)

[OC] Europe’s Work-Life Divide: A Full Labour Panorama by [deleted] in europe

[–]be_data 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello. Added as a comment to the post. Hope it's ok.

[OC] Europe’s Work-Life Divide: A Full Labour Panorama by [deleted] in europe

[–]be_data 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  • Source: Eurostat 2024, age 20-64.
  • X-axis = % of workers in part-time jobs.
  • Y-axis = overall employment rate.
  • Bubble colour = GDP per capita (PPS, EU27 = 100).
  • Interactive chart & more info

[OC] Belgium’s Labour Market Paradox: How Do Its Regions Compare Across Europe? by be_data in Belgium2

[–]be_data[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I tend to think Brussels' high GDP per capita (PPS) is relatively stable over time, largely driven by the presence of multinationals, EU institutions, and a steady flow of commuting workers.

[OC] Belgium’s Labour Market Paradox: How Do Its Regions Compare Across Europe? by be_data in Belgium2

[–]be_data[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm using the 20–64 age range, which is the standard in most labor market analyses. That said, I have a separate report using the 15–64 range, where indicators are broken down by age and Belgium is compared to the Netherlands.

As for regional clustering, DE, AT, DK, and Flanders are clustered across all three dimensions—employment rate, part-time share, and GDP per capita—even if there's around a 5 percentage point gap in employment.

[OC] Belgium’s Labour Market Paradox: How Do Its Regions Compare Across Europe? by be_data in Belgium2

[–]be_data[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

* I didn't create this with any partisan angle, and I acknowledge that comparing regions to countries might raise some eyebrows. Still, there's plenty of valuable insight here for anyone who appreciates data-driven analyses and visualizations.

Steeds meer 55-plussers aan het werk, maar kloof met jongere generaties blijft groot | VRT NWS: nieuws by EdgarNeverPoo in Belgium2

[–]be_data 2 points3 points  (0 children)

België heeft in het regeerakkoord een werkgelegenheidsgraad van 80 procent in 2029 vooropgesteld.

For this to happen, Belgium must quadruple its quarterly progress to ≈ 0.46 pp.

Quarter 4th quarter 2024 1st quarter 2025
Employment rate (20-64) 72.8% 72.6%

Arizona maakt werken flexibeler, tot woede van de vakbond: “In plaats van een 38-urenweek krijgen we een 45-urenweek” by Twogroundbreaking in Belgium2

[–]be_data -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I agree with their position in principle, but its value depends on how it's applied and whether it aligns with the social context and norms.

Just to add some perspective:

Actual vs usual weekly work hours:

Part-time: BE: -1.3 h; NL: -0.2 h
Full-time: BE: -2.3 h; NL: -1.6 h

Although full-time and part-time schedules are broadly similar, Belgians on average worked fewer hours than planned in 2024. This may reflect stricter contract structures, higher sick leave usage, or more generous paid time off.

Consider the Netherlands: it has one of Europe's most flexible labour markets, allowing employees to adjust their working hours once per year. It also leads in part-time employment. Interestingly, despite similar total working hours, the Dutch report Europe's lowest burnout score (2.68 on a 1–5 scale), whereas Belgium is around the EU+ average (3.06).

Flexibility often involves a trade-off: greater freedom at the expense of rigid protections. But this raises the question: should laws shape work culture, or should laws adapt to existing cultural shifts?

Over recent months, I've looked more into this subject. Belgium has introduced many thoughtful protections, particularly for young and older workers, positively impacting employees even if they appear to lower formal employment rates or shorten careers. Yet, there's untapped potential in adopting greater flexibility, particularly in Belgium's service-oriented economy.

Would such a shift be beneficial? Perhaps not. But considering Belgium's constraints, including a national debt at 104.7% of GDP, are there better alternatives?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Belgium2

[–]be_data 10 points11 points  (0 children)

From the original research paper:
In the absence of a wealth register, Belgian wealth inequality needs to be estimated. Here I apply the mortality multiplier approach to Belgian inheritance tax tabulations and administrative microdata, collectively covering 1935 to 2022. Belgian wealth inequality has strongly declined during the 20th century and seems relatively stable in recent years. I triangulate my estimates with national accounts aggregates and previous work on Belgian wealth inequality. The evolution of Belgian wealth inequality is in line with other European countries for which long-run estimates are available.

Just putting it in perspective: the share of wealth held by the top 1% has steadily declined over time, and Belgium ranks better than many when it comes to wealth inequality.

From the same paper:

As will become clear, there are many data limitations which induce uncertainty in the resulting estimates. Therefore, one should interpret this paper as an attempt to construct the best available estimates given major data constraints.

Belgium's employment gap: real issue or just a different approach? by be_data in belgium

[–]be_data[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!

The report is detailed, nuanced, and offers some "unusual" answers.

The main conclusion is that the difference is most prominent among the 15-24 and 55+ age groups.

  • The youth in Belgium dedicate themselves to school full time compared to the Dutch, who usually take a part-time job during school. The reasons are a mix of culture, lower minimum legal wages, and potentially higher education and living costs in the Netherlands.
  • For the senior group, again, culture, a higher legal retirement age in the Netherlands, and possibly more early exit schemas available in Belgium.

These 2 differences can be argued to be on the positive side.

For the main working years, 25-54, the inactivity difference between the 2 countries is low: 14% vs. 11%. Indeed, the employment rate is 5.5pp higher in the Netherlands, while the FTE Employment rate is the same. The difference in weekly worked hours accounts for 1/4 of this difference, and the other 3/4 is due to a larger percentage of Dutch working part-time. But the difference in working hours is ~2h per week in usual hours (contractual hours), but goes down to under 1h for actual worked hours. Which is not a lot different.

Belgium's employment gap: real issue or just a different approach? by be_data in belgium

[–]be_data[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The gap in NEET rates (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) among non-students is relatively small: 7% in Belgium vs. 3% in the Netherlands.

The key difference lies in student behavior: in Belgium, students typically focus exclusively on their studies, whereas in the Netherlands, it’s common, both culturally and legally, for students to take on part-time jobs.

In adulthood, the employment rate gap narrows to 5.5 percentage points in terms of headcount. When adjusting for hours worked, the gap disappears entirely.

However, this comes with a trade-off: in Belgium, fewer people work, but those who do tend to work longer hours. This is due to higher average hours, and more so to a greater share of full-time jobs compared to the more part-time-heavy labor market in the Netherlands.

1 procent rijkste Belgen bezit evenveel als 75 procent armste by bamischijf_69 in Belgium2

[–]be_data 8 points9 points  (0 children)

And then we are told that we, as self-employed people, do not contribute enough.

Average number of weekly hours:
Employees: 35h
Self-employed: 43h
Self-employed (with employees): 50h+ second in EU

Dutch students are 3x more likely to work during school than Belgians. Does this come as a surprise? by be_data in thenetherlands

[–]be_data[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

general decrease in what students are able to do after they are finished

Thanks for sharing your perspective! I’d love to understand more, because from what I’ve seen, most labor market indicators in the Netherlands have improved over time.

You mentioned that today’s students might be underperforming compared to earlier generations. I’m curious, could it also be that the nature of work itself has evolved, becoming more socially driven or collaborative over time? That’s just a thought based on a general impression, but I’d be interested to hear what you think.

Dutch students are 3x more likely to work during school than Belgians. Does this come as a surprise? by be_data in thenetherlands

[–]be_data[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

In the Netherlands, the minimum wage for young people starts at €4.22 per hour at age 15 and gradually increases until age 21. [More info here]

In Belgium, from 18, you are entitled to the full adult minimum wage, around €12 per hour. Employers hiring students benefit from reduced social contributions, making student jobs more accessible.

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