Half of Belgians unhappy with pay

Half of the Belgian working population is not satisfied with its current salary, according to an online survey of 30,143 Belgians by Jobat.be. Dissatisfaction is highest among manual labourers (60%). The most satisfied with their pay are civil servants and executives.

The average survey respondent earns a gross monthly income of €3,176, which is more than the national median wage of €2,824 gross per month.

The survey notes that there are big differences between sectors. In the chemical sector, for example, the average monthly wage amounts to €2,986, while employees in retail and distribution take home €1,927 a month on average.

Manual labourers earn an average of €2,338 gross, employees €2,939, civil servants €3,415 and executives €5,118. Management positions, legal functions and jobs in R&D, engineering, ICT and HR are the highest paid. The lowest paid jobs are in the hospitality industry, internal sales or as an administrative assistant.