EY study shows that change is coming

According to the annual EY activity meter, Belgium is number 5 on the list of most attractive European countries for foreign investors. It also shows that the reform policy of the federal government has increased the faith of investors in our economy. To N-VA Chairman Bart De Wever, the study proves that the economic motor is up and running again. “But we still have a long way to go. We have to reform even more.”

“After years of stagnation and decline, we are once again attracting foreign investments that will generate hundreds of jobs. And I am convinced that there is more good news to come. Foreign companies have faith in our economy again,” De Wever declares. “No less than two out of three foreign investors consider the measures taken by the Michel Administration to be positive to very positive. This means the change in policy, in our economy and our country.”

Labour costs slow down job creation
But the problem of our labour costs remains an obstacle for foreign companies, thus costing us jobs. “The study reveals that the Temporary stop of wage indexation Belgium is one of the few countries that practices automatic indexation. This mechanism ensures that salaries and social benefits are always adapted to inflation. Since salaries increase along with the cost of living, a risk of a wage handicap arises, which undermines competitiveness. The temporary stop of wage indexation, where the automatic adaptation to the index is skipped, provides a solution to this. temporary stop of wage indexation is perceived as an in-depth measure. But this is not enough,” De Wever warns. “We must decrease labour costs even more in order to create additional jobs.”