Like other CPAS bodies, the CPAS of the City of Brussels faces a major turning point: 7,800 people excluded from unemployment benefits in its area. This figure imposes a responsibility.
For David Weytsman, President of the CPAS: “From the outset, my conviction is clear: social assistance cannot remain on the margins of the labour market. It must stay true to its primary purpose: to protect, yes, but above all to enable people to bounce back. A modern CPAS does not manage inactivity, it organises the return to independence. Assistance must become an accelerator towards activity, towards training, towards sustainable employment.”
One month after the two-year limit on unemployment benefits came into force, 335 people have already come forward. Our response is structural: rapid diagnosis, an individual action plan, a pathway towards employment or qualifying training.
To this end, we are setting up a genuine return-to-work department. Its mission is clear: analyse skills, identify obstacles, build a pathway geared towards sectors that are genuinely recruiting. For too long in Belgium, social support has focused on managing precariousness. We are redirecting it towards independence.
The key lies in the link with the economy. “In one year, we have significantly expanded our partnerships with businesses. Opening up to the private sector changes the logic: we mainly guide people towards shortage occupations, towards sectors that create value and recruit sustainably.”
Article 60 fits fully into this strategy. It is one of the tools that enables a genuine return to a working rhythm and a first structuring experience. “We will triple its volume, from 500 to 1,500 contracts per year by 2027, because the scheme has proven its effectiveness. But the goal is not to keep people occupied. It is to qualify them and integrate them sustainably into the labour market.”