What you need to know for employing in Belgium

Employee contributions include Social Security (for white collar workers) and Social Security (for blue collar workers).

Standard working hours in Belgium are 38 hours per week.

Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA)/laws regulate increased weekly hours, overtime, and other specifics of working time.

Sick leave for white-collar employees is 100% of the salary paid by the employer for maximum 30 days.

Belgium has generous maternity, paternity, and parental leaves. They are generally paid for the most part by Social Security.

In Belgium, employees are entitled to 20 days per year pro rata as well as 10 public holidays. They are also allowed maximum 10 days' unpaid leave for exceptional or unforeseen circumstances.

Increases are possible per individual agreement and/or per Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)/employment level. Additional leaves are provided by CBA/law.

There are no specific statutory provisions (though there may be some exceptions for protected groups).

Employees might be entitled to compensation in lieu of notice (in instances of termination with immediate effect or insufficient notice).

Terminations are heavily regulated. Procedural requirements depend on the type of dismissal.

Specific rules for fixed-term contracts apply.