The future of job mobility

Our employer survey reveals that only 38% of employees in Belgium feel they can still progress within their company. This is worrying, because job mobility is important for both workers and employers. That is why the federal government is offering a solution with the Labour Deal. If your company have 20 or more employees, from next year you will be obliged to offer every employee at least five training days a year. Currently, 51% of Belgian companies already offer five training days a year, Acerta’s survey shows. A quarter (23%) of the companies surveyed offer less than five days a year, while the remaining proportion of companies have not yet planned any training courses.

It is important that training contributes to job mobility, and that a culture of learning is embedded in the organisation. The Labour Deal does provide for an obligation in terms of training, yet 'one size fits all' is often not the best solution. It is not possible every sector and every company to offer different training. Both employers and employees are asking for support in applying those training days usefully. Learning will also always be about more than an individual training right to five days and a training plan. Real learning is a culture that needs to be ingrained in the organisation.

And so as a company, it is important to also offer other opportunities for learning and development, such as coaching and mentoring, on-the-job training, and so on. These courses are best tailored to the individual needs of your employees, their current skills and their ambitions for the future.

69% of Belgians see the rest of their career as a dynamic that they can align with their personal life and goals, according to our employer survey Talent Pulse, in collaboration with Stepstone. It is therefore important for companies to facilitate internal job mobility. Offering different roles and responsibilities can help employees develop and enhance their knowledge and skills. In addition, flexible working, such as working from home, can make it easier to combine work and private life and give employees more control over their own careers.

A final, important aspect of job mobility is the opportunity, but also the need, for workers to learn and develop new skills. Training can help employees prepare for new challenges and responsibilities, and can also contribute to their personal growth and development. An employer also plays an important role in developing and facilitating future skills for its employees. This requires attention to the learning needs of both the organisation and the employee. Therefore, drawing up a training plan, which is part of a broader training policy, is indispensable.