The share of hours worked under flexi-jobs has tripled in three years. As this scheme now expands to all sectors subject to specific agreements, its growth is reshuffling the cards between fixed-term and permanent contracts in different ways depending on the profession.
Since July 1, 2026, flexi-jobs have been allowed in all sectors. However, the sectors retain their say. Through their joint committee, they can exclude them completely or partially (opt-out) or reintroduce them at a later stage (opt-in).
To do so, a sectoral collective bargaining agreement (CBA) must be concluded and an application submitted to the NSSO (ONSS/RSZ) by September 30 at the latest. The changes are then fixed annually by Royal Decree, taking effect on January 1.
For the 2026 transition year, opt-ins and opt-outs are exceptionally allowed on a quarterly basis. Existing authorizations and exclusions can be modified or maintained by Royal Decree until August 31, 2026, at the latest.
Three times as many flexi-job hours worked even before the new extension
This expansion comes as the share of flexible work in the labor market is already rising sharply. New figures from Partena Professional show that the share of hours worked under flexi-jobs has tripled in three years, reaching 0.85% of all hours worked in 2025. Overall, the share of hours worked under permanent contracts remains relatively stable, but in sectors where flexi-jobs have already been introduced, trends vary significantly.
The share of flexi-job hours in total working volume has grown steadily: from 0.27% in 2023 to 0.45% in 2024, and then to 0.85% in 2025, representing more than a threefold increase in three years. In the first quarter of 2026, this share remained stable at 0.85%, ahead of the July 1 entry into force of the new extension, which opens the scheme to all sectors.
The share of hours worked under fixed-term contracts is also increasing: from 4.92% in 2023 to 6.59% in 2024, and to 7.56% in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, this figure rose further to 7.76%.
During the same period, the share of hours worked under permanent contracts decreased proportionally: from 91.88% in 2023 to 89.82% in 2025, and down to 88.45% in the first quarter of 2026, a decline of about three percentage points in three years.
Clear sectoral differences and no evidence of job substitution
Behind these overall figures lie clear sectoral disparities. To understand this dynamic, it is useful to look at sectors where flexi-jobs already play a particularly major role. This is the case in both funeral homes and coach passenger transport. In these two sectors, nearly a quarter of working time is carried out via flexi-jobs: 23.24% in funeral homes (Joint Committee 320) and 22.50% in coach transport (Joint Committee 140.01).
However, these two sectors follow different patterns. In the funeral sector, the share of flexi-job hours is rising sharply, while the percentage of hours worked under fixed-term contracts is declining.
In coach passenger transport, on the other hand, flexi-job hours and fixed-term contract hours are increasing simultaneously, while the share of permanent contracts is dropping significantly.
According to labor market expert Stijn Baert, who analyzed the Partena Professional figures, these numbers should not be interpreted as proof of job substitution. They do not reflect the total volume of hours worked in the sector. Having a pool of flexible, dispatchable resources makes it possible to bring in additional staff who otherwise would not have been mobilized. Thus, a lower share of hours worked on permanent contracts can coexist with a level of permanent employment that, in number of people or hours, is at least equivalent to what it would have been without the extra flexi-job options.
The trajectory chosen by sectors will partly determine the impact of July 1
Examples from different sectors show above all that there is no single scenario. The new sectors now authorized to use flexi-jobs are not all starting from the same baseline: their workforce composition, seasonality, and the balance between permanent contracts, fixed-term contracts, student work, and flexi-jobs vary greatly. Consequently, the role that flexi-jobs will play after July 1 will also differ from one sector to another. The figures observed in pioneer sectors are therefore not a forecast, but rather an invitation to avoid overly broad conclusions.
By Yves Stox, Managing Consultant at Partena Professional.