8/15/2019 Flemish Government Outlook 4.0

1/2

Flemish Government’s 2014Outlook: High Productivity and

Aging Poulation

By Max Berre

According to the Flemish !egion’s government annually"u#lished Flanders Outlook

reort $or 2014% Flanders’ Per &aita G'P has already recovered to re"crisis levels(

Pu#lished #y the !esearch &entre o$ the Government o$ Flanders% as art o$ the

region’s 200) *Flanders in Action+ lan% the reort comares economic develomentand social cohesion outcomes in Flanders vis","vis those o$ 1- o$ the ./’s most

develoed regions( he reort relates G'P er caita to three $actors( hese are

la#or roductivity% num#er o$ o#s as a ercentage o$ ork$orce"aged oulation%

and the share o$ ork$orce"aged oulation among the oulation in general(

Overall% Flanders as among only to #enchmark regions that have recovered re"

2003 Per &aita G'P levels% outlines the reort( 'enmark matched this

achievement in 2010( he reort nds Flanders to #e in the to 5uartile $or

economic develoment among the ./’s regions% lacing 26th in the ./ in terms o$G'P Per &aita( According to the reort% Flanders oes its roserity rincially to

its high la#or market roductivity(

Flemish la#or roductivity% to hich the reort credits its recovery G'P Per &aita%

recovered its 2006 level in 2010( Among the #enchmark regions% only 'enmark and

7ain’s 8as5ue !egion have #een a#le to match Flanders’ ost"crisis la#or market

roductivity recovery( Overall% Flanders laced 11th in terms o$ la#or roductivity

among 194 ./ regions(

Among the challenges the reort outlines that num#er o$ o#s as a ercentage o$ 

ork$orce"aged oulation comes in at 12th lace out o$ 1- $or the th consecutive

year ith )6(1 o#s er 100 ork$orce"aged residents( his score also laced

Flanders at 6th among 194 ./ regions% here it is outer$ormed #y the 8russels

&aital !egion( Another maor trou#le sot is in share o$ ork$orce"aged oulation

8/15/2019 Flemish Government Outlook 4.0

2/2

among the general oulation% hich according to the reort stood at )-(6;% and

has #een seeing a gradual decline $or a num#er o$ years( evertheless% there are some idiosyncrasies hich should #e taken into account(

Flanders’ caital% as ell as many o$ its largest comanies is #ased in 8russels%

hich lies outside o$ the Flemish region( 7ince many o$ the region’s u#lic"sector

and cororate emloyees commute #ecause o$ this% and contri#ute to #oth 8russels

and Flanders G'P% accurate measurement is somehat di?cult(

 he 1- #enchmarked regions are chosen on the #asis innovation indicators such as

share o$ highly educated orkers% share o$ orkers in knoledge"intensive elds%

and !@' intensity among other $actors( Among the regions are ve / regions% to

German regions% three 'utch regions% three 7candinavian regions% and one region in

#oth France and 7ain(