Average gross wage in Brussels is €3,780

The average employee in full-time employment in Brussels earns 18% more than someone in the same job working in Flanders, according to figures from the economy ministry. 

For 2012, the latest year for which figures are available, the average gross monthly income in Flanders was €3,196; in Brussels the figure was €3,780. The average wage for Belgium as a whole was €3,258.

The differential has been around for a long time: In 1999 the difference was €317 a month in Brussels’ favour, and the figure has fluctuated at around €300-€500 ever since.

The main reason for the difference, the ministry explains, is the large number of people employed by major companies and international institutions in Brussels. The highest wages in the capital are earned by the better-educated; unskilled workers tend to earn more in Flanders. The figures concern people working in Flanders and Brussels; someone living in Flanders and travelling to work in Brussels enjoys the same advantage as a Brussels resident working in the capital.

On average, men still earn more than women in both regions: €3,919 in Brussels for men and €404 less for women; in Flanders men make €314 more than women’s income of €2,959.

The highest average wage in Flanders is among workers in distribution of electricity, water and gas, at €3,922 a month. In Brussels the highest pay goes to employees of financial institutions – €4,434 a month before deductions.

 Photo: Jobseekers at the Brussels employment office Actiris. Courtesy Actiris