New data shows that an incredible 60 percent of those without work in Belgium were of non-Belgian background in 2023, and now new rules mean 180,000 people could lose their social welfare benefits starting next year.
Employment Minister David Clarinval found the data “rather astonishing” but also noted, according to Politico, that migrants not only do not understand the local language but can also “have difficulty understanding the institutional system.”
Clarinval added that “everyone must work, including people of foreign origin.”
🇩🇪🚨Germany's welfare costs are EXPLODING and foreigners are fueling the rise
🚨 Welfare costs, known as "citizen's money," have reached a record high of €48.9 billion.
💰 47.3% of welfare recipients are foreigners, a new record high, according to data from the German… pic.twitter.com/mK6Vu2pV8g
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 9, 2024The Belgian government has now decided that, starting next year, unemployment benefits will end for those who have been out of work for more than 20 years, and benefits will be available for a maximum of two years. The move will see around 180,000 people lose their benefits next year, saving almost €2 billion for the state.
In addition, a huge share of those who are unemployed are non-European foreigners.
Stijn Baert, professor of labor economics at Ghent University, told another local news portal, “More than half of non-European foreigners living in Belgium have been unemployed for more than a year.”
“When we focus on migrants from countries outside the European Union, Belgium almost always ranks among the worst performers in Europe. In Belgium, more than half of unemployed non-European foreigners have been out of work for more than a year. Only Greece performs worse,” said Baert.
Although he blames the results partly on higher discrimination (based on age and disability, not ethnicity) as well as the fact that female migrants are often discouraged from higher education or employment, Baerts highlights migrant’s overall lower level of education.
“What is particularly striking is that in subsequent generations, the children of migrants are also unable to close this gap, unlike what is observed in other countries,” he added.
However, similar data is seen in other countries, such as Germany. There, over half of those who are unemployed have a migration background.
Overall, migrants are costing Germans approximately €50 billion a year, including social benefits, integration courses, and housing. German states are increasingly taking out more debt as the burden of the foreign population soars on taxpayers.
When it comes to welfare recipients, 62.5 percent of them are foreigners.
Despite these enormous costs, many of Germany’s left-wing parties want even more migrants, including the Left Party, which says 1 million foreigners a year is sustainable.
