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One in eight Belgians does volunteer work

00:05 20/10/2015

An estimated 1.16 million people in Belgium perform volunteer work, or 12.5% of the population, according to a study commissioned by the King Baudouin Foundation. In terms of hours, volunteers in Belgium work a total of about 221.2 million hours a year, or 4.1% of the time spent on salaried work. That comes down to nearly four hours of unpaid work a week, writes Trends.

The volunteer work falls mainly into four sectors: sport, culture, social services and education. The vast majority of the voluntary service takes place within the framework of an organisation.

While gender is not a determining factor to volunteer, the study found that men and women volunteers generally perform different tasks. Men take on more skilled and semi-skilled work, while women perform more service jobs. Men are also better represented in the sports sector, while more women than men are found in education and religious organisations.

The study also reveals that 58% of the volunteers are individuals with a higher education degree, and 57% of all the volunteers also have a paid job.

Written by Robyn Boyle