Belgian technology sector shows significant growth

The technological sector in Belgium realized a real growth of 11.5 percent between 2015 and 2019. That is more than any other sector. The growth proves to be sustainable, with employment rising with 5.1 percent and productivity with 6.4 percent. “These numbers show that the digital transformation and reduction in labor costs are working,” says Agoria CEO Marc Lambotte. “We now need to invest in activation.”

"The Belgian technology sector held up better than the rest of Europe in 2019. Against a difficult geopolitical backdrop, the recovery continues. In the event of an international downturn, production sites used to be closed down. This trend has been reversed. Our productivity is increasing, our companies are modernizing and are going through a rapid digital transformation. The figures show that this is positive for society. Those who produce and at the same time innovate early enough, continue to perform," says Lambotte.

Between the beginning of 2015 and the beginning of this year, the technology industry together created 19,641 extra jobs, of which 3,744 in the manufacturing industry. However, the number of vacancies in the technology industry is at record levels. “The vacancy problem absolutely has to be tackled," says Lambotte. "Activation is the key word. If we don’t succeed in this, we will miss a huge opportunity.”