Dominique Soenens

3 days ago | brusselstimes.com | Dominique Soenens

Belgian employees work the fewest hours per year in Europe, according to new research. They invest more in leisure, maintaining prosperity through high productivity, but some experts question whether this is sustainable in the future. 1,021 hours per year. That is how much the working population between the ages of 15 and 64 in Belgium works on average, according to data from the German Institute for Economic Research. This is the lowest figure of all European countries. Why is this?

2 weeks ago | brusselstimes.com | Dominique Soenens

Young people are particularly susceptible to ‘buy now, pay later’ services. More and more Belgian consumers are getting into trouble because of ‘buy now, pay later’ apps such as Klarna, Riverty and Pay Pal Pay Later, warns the government. One in six has already had to deal with a debt collection agency, and among young people the figure is even higher than one in four. “Poison?

2 weeks ago | brusselstimes.com | Dominique Soenens

Belgium is one of the countries with the strongest trade unions in the world. Credit: BelgaIn recent months, a wave of strikes has swept through Belgium. The power of trade unions remains strong in international terms, even though there is growing pressure at the political level in Belgium to limit it. Last Tuesday saw what is likely to be the last major trade union strike against the federal government's plans.

3 weeks ago | brusselstimes.com | Dominique Soenens

Before and after the Belgian football cup final just under two weeks ago, violence erupted in the streets of Brussels. Forty years after the Heysel tragedy, Belgium is still struggling with football hooliganism. How ineradicable is the problem? Suddenly they were there, dressed in black, their faces covered, with only one goal: to fight.

1 month ago | brusselstimes.com | Dominique Soenens

In more than fifteen years, Airbnb has not only shaken up the tourism sector, but has also left its mark on the property market. Like many other cities, Brussels is feeling the impact of Airbnb on the cost of living. Brussels cannot compete with Paris, Rome or London in terms of tourist appeal, but the Belgian capital is nevertheless popular with Airbnb landlords. According to data company Inside Airbnb, there are around 6,500 apartments and houses being rented out via the platform in the capital.