Which Brussels employment aids are involved?
The Brussels-Capital Government is continuing its reform of employment aids to simplify the system and make public spending more efficient.
Two measures are directly affected:
- The target group reduction for elderly workers
- The Activa Brussels premium
These measures helped reduce the cost of certain recruitments in the Brussels-Capital Region.
The target group reduction for elderly workers will be abolished as of 1 July 2026
Currently, an employee in the Brussels-Capital Region who is at least 61 years old and at most 66 years old on the last day of the quarter is, in principle, entitled to a G1 target group reduction of 1,000 euros per quarter. This is a direct social security contribution reduction that lowers the cost of certain employees already in service.
This target group reduction will be abolished on 1 July 2026 and will no longer be granted from the third quarter of 2026, not even to employers who currently benefit from it. If you included this support measure in your wage budget, you must now take its discontinuation into account.
Read more: “Elderly workers (social security contribution reduction)”
Gradual abolition of the Activa Brussels premium
The Activa.brussels measure was abolished on 15 July 2026. For employers, this measure represented a significant financial advantage: depending on the profile of the employee, the work allowance could amount to 15,900 euros over 30 months or 23,400 euros over 36 months, especially for certain jobseekers who are further removed from the labour market.
For employees who started employment no later than 15 July 2026, the work allowance may still be retained during the transitional period, up to and including 31 December 2026.
From 1 January 2027, the measure will disappear completely. If you take this support into account for ongoing or planned recruitments, you must consider that this financial advantage will end. This can directly affect the cost of your recruitments and your wage budget.
If you want to know more about the various Activa measures, please consult our Lex4You fact sheet.
These changes are part of a broader reform of employment aids
The Brussels reform is not happening alone.
At the federal level, several important changes to employment aids are also planned as of 1 July 2026. The federal government plans, among other things, the abolition of certain target group reductions and a reform of the target group reduction for the first recruitment.
In Wallonia, several regional employment aids will gradually disappear and be replaced by a new single premium: Incitant Job Plus.
The following measures will be abolished:
- Impulsion
- SESAM
- SINE
- Tremplin 24 months+
The aim is to simplify and clarify the landscape of employment aids for employers.
Are these measures official yet?
Yes. Both abolitions are now official.
The target group reduction for elderly workers was abolished as of 1 July 2026. It may no longer be applied from the third quarter of 2026, not even for employers who previously used it.
The abolition of Activa.brussels was established in a Brussels ordinance of 9 July 2026, which was published in the Moniteur belge on 14 July 2026. The ordinance entered into force on 15 July 2026.
The transitional measures still apply to employees who started employment no later than 15 July 2026. Their work allowance may be retained according to the previous rules, up to and including 31 December 2026.
Through Lex4You, we keep you informed of any additional administrative clarifications and other developments regarding employment aids.
What does Securex do for you?
Our experts closely monitor reforms of employment aids at both regional and federal levels.
We assist you with, among other things:
- Checking whether your current recruitments still qualify for the existing measures
- Evaluating the financial impact of the disappearance of certain support measures
- Identifying possible alternatives
- Informing you about future measures that will replace the current systems
- Adapting your recruitment policy to the new rules
For more information or additional questions, you can contact your Legal Advisor via myHR@securex.be.
Sources
- Ordinance of 9 July 2026 repealing Articles 14 to 26 of the Ordinance of 23 June 2017 concerning employment support in the Brussels-Capital Region and Articles 3 to 17 of the decision of the Brussels-Capital Government of 14 September 2017 concerning activation measures for jobseekers
- Activa.brussels certificate | Actiris
