On the European average, Indeed and LinkedIn have generally been job seekers’ leading job boards. However, Belgium seems different, as job seekers turn to local job boards. In fact, half of the Belgium job market (50%) use the local VDAB board in their search. VDAB is an extension of a regional public employment office in Belgium specifically focusing on raising employment in Flanders.
This article shows the job board market in Belgium (total) and the three main regions who really differ completely from each other: Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia.
Belgium total
Following VDAB, Indeed comes second being preferred by 19% of Belgium jobseekers, and Jobat with 16%. This is based on a study by the Intelligence Group with a total of 15,228 respondents, which is representative of the Belgian labour market in 2022-2023. Job boards are a crucial part of the Belgian labour market. The three primary orientation sources they use are Job boards (44%), Search engines (29%) and Open applications (28%).
According to Geert-Jan, Waasdorp CEO of Intelligence Group, Belgians are more interested in local job boards than the typical European.
“Recruiters use LinkedIn and Indeed to reach a wider Belgian audience. While LinkedIn and Indeed are helpful for their broad reach, focusing on the power of local champions is what works for local recruitment.
In coming years, as global recruitment becomes more and more needed, we’ll see more companies using boards like Indeed and LinkedIn. Local job boards will lose more market share to these global giants.”
| Job boards | 2023 % | 2023 rank | 2022 % | 2022 rank |
| vdab.be | 50 | 1 | 45 | 1 |
| be.indeed.com | 19 | 2 | 22 | 2 |
| jobat.be | 16 | 3 | 15 | 4 |
| be.linkedin.com | 13 | 4 | 11 | 5 |
| leforem.be | 12 | 5 | 16 | 3 |
| job.be | 11 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| stepstone.be | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| monster.be | 3 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
| references.be | 3 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| selor.be | 2 | 10 | 3 | 10 |
In the recent rankings, there are some changes worth noticing. LinkedIn moved up from being the fifth most popular job board to the fourth position, showing that more people are using it to find jobs. On the other hand, Leforem, which was in the third spot, dropped down to fifth. This change is similar to what we see happening in countries like the UK and Germany, where LinkedIn is becoming more popular among job seekers.
Job.be kept its place as the sixth favourite job board and even became more popular compared to the previous year. Stepstone and Monster also didn’t change and remained the seventh and eighth preferred job boards in 2023. Interestingly, References and Selor increased in the rankings, becoming the ninth and tenth most-liked job boards.
LinkedIn leads in Brussels
While VDAB is the most popular job board in all of Belgium, and although it has its headquarters in Brussels, it doesn’t make it to the top five bob boards in Brussels. Job seekers in this English-speaking part of Belgium value LinkedIn the most, with 33% saying it’s their go-to job board. It’s interesting to note that LinkedIn’s popularity has skyrocketed in 2023. Last year, it was in third place, and Indeed was the most popular. This big change shows how much people in Brussels now prefer using LinkedIn for job searches.
| Brussel job boards | 2023 % | 2023 rank | 2022 % | 2022 rank |
| be.linkedin.com | 33 | 1 | 25 | 3 |
| actiris.brussels | 24 | 2 | 29 | 2 |
| be.indeed.com | 23 | 3 | 30 | 1 |
| jobat.be | 10 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| leforem.be | 8 | 5 | 11 | 6 |
In second place is actiris.brussels, a local job board that 21% of people in Brussels use. Jobat has also become more popular, moving up from the ninth spot to fourth (10%) in Brussels. It seems like the English part of job boards is becoming more appealing to the locals. Leforem also grew in popularity and came in fifth.
Local boards come top in Flanders
In Flanders, where people speak Dutch, the main job boards are VDAB and Jobat. VDAB is the most popular, with 70% of job seekers using it. The goal of VDAB, when it was established, was to make the job market in Flanders clear and lively. It’s not surprising that it’s the top job board since it was created for this purpose.
| Flanders job board | 2023 % | 2023 rank | 2022% | 2022 rank |
| vdab.be | 70 | 1 | 67 | 1 |
| jobat.be | 20 | 2 | 20 | 3 |
| be.indeed.com | 16 | 3 | 21 | 2 |
| be.linkedin.com | 11 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| stepstone.be | 9 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
Jobat, on the other hand, surpassed Indeed and secured the third position. Following the local job boards, the global giants Indeed, LinkedIn and Stepstone take the next three positions. Indeed is in third place, LinkedIn is in fourth, and Stepstone is in fifth. This suggests that even though local boards are popular, global job platforms still play a significant role in the job market, with Indeed being the most prominent among them.
Leforem rules Wallonia
In Wallonia, which is known for primarily using French, Leforem ranks as the topmost job board. While it is ranked fifth overall in Belgium, it stands out as the leading platform in Wallonia, preferred by 52% of jobseekers.
| Wallonia job boards | 2023 % | 2023 rank | 2022 % | 2022 rank |
| leforem.be | 52 | 1 | 58 | 1 |
| be.indeed.com | 26 | 2 | 25 | 2 |
| be.linkedin.com | 13 | 3 | 12 | 3 |
| stepstone.be | 9 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| references.be | 8 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
The top three job boards that were popular in 2022 have maintained their positions in 2023. Indeed secured the second spot with a preferred rate of 26%, and LinkedIn closely followed in third place with 13%. Such consistency shows a stable trend in the preferences of job seekers, with a continued reliance on these established platforms.
There also seems to be a balance between the local job boards in the French language and the internationally popular ones. Stepstone scaled up and now holds the fourth position. While the local board references.be, dropped to fifth position, completing the top five in Wallonia.
About the Intelligence Group
Intelligence Group is an international data and technology company specializing in the collection and analysis of European labour market and hiring data. Intelligence Group strives to bridge the gap between supply and demand in the labour market. With our information, we ensure that HR managers, recruiters, recruiting, and career and communication experts have the right data at their disposal to solve all types of labour market issues.
Further information can be found at: https://intelligence-group.nl/
Contact:
+31 88 730 2800
info@intelligence-group.nl
