Clarissa Pryce, specialist in recruiting temporary finance talent at Robert Walters, highlights a striking trend in the Belgian labour market: despite a general decline in the number of advertised vacancies, demand for finance professionals continues to rise. While the total number of vacancies in Belgium decreased by 1% in 2024, the number of finance vacancies actually increased by 8%. These figures underline the essential role of finance talent in sectors such as engineering, HR services and manufacturing, among others.
Clarissa specifically focuses on temporary finance vacancies, where we could see a 7% growth in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This is in sharp contrast to the wider labour market, where the number of temporary vacancies fell by 7%. ‘This discrepancy shows that the demand for specialised temporary workers within finance remains undiminished,’ says Clarissa.
Companies are looking for flexible and rapidly deployable professionals to fill crucial finance positions.
"This offers great opportunities for those eager to gain a lot of experience within this field at short notice."
The regional figures show that demand for temporary finance professionals is highest in four provinces: Antwerp (19.4%), East Flanders (15.4%), Flemish Brabant (15.2%) and West Flanders (14.4%). "An interesting evolution can be seen in Flemish Brabant, where the number of temporary finance vacancies has risen sharply," explains Clarissa. "In 2023, only 10.5% of all temporary finance vacancies could be found in this province, while in 2024 this rose to 15.2%. This makes Flemish Brabant the province with the strongest growth in demand for temporary finance talent."
Within various sectors, we see significant demand for finance experts, especially in financial services, engineering, HR services, IT, manufacturing & packaging and construction. "These sectors often experience fluctuations in the market and face project-intensive periods, so they benefit from flexible, temporary reinforcement within their finance departments," says Clarissa. "Temporary finance professionals, such as accountants and financial controllers, not only help companies meet deadlines, but also contribute to the continuity and accuracy of their financial processes."
Besides technical expertise, soft skills are becoming increasingly important when recruiting financial profiles. Companies are not only looking for professionals with in-depth knowledge of financial processes, but also for people who are strong in self-motivation, detail-oriented and can function well within a team. "These soft skills are crucial to operate successfully in a rapidly changing environment, especially in temporary positions where flexibility is key," Clarissa knows. ‘Professionals who display these skills have an added advantage in finding new opportunities within the finance domain."
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