The Brussels Bubble – The job Market

If you have been one of the few still around in Brussels over the last couple of weeks, you will have seen the mass exodus has already begun.  The last Strasbourg plenary and the school holidays are the usual trigger points. With employees taking 2-3 weeks holiday and most employers allowing staff to take 1-2 ‘remote working’ weeks’, most of the Bubble will be gone for 3-5 weeks.

What is the current marketplace like? Are some sectors ‘hotter’ than others? Are in-house, consultancy or trade associations all seeing the same trends?

In the last few weeks, I have placed 5 people. 1 Director in-house, 1 Director, Senior Consultant, EA in consultancies, and a Manager in a trade Association. On the books are jobs such as Partners & Head of Practice in Consultancies, in-house Mid-Level in a trade association and in-house. I am being asked more to do consultancy work to look at the structure of teams and how to maximize staff net pay packages.

So, all areas seem to be buoyant. However, there seems to be a lot of restructuring in some of the corporates which is causing uncertainty for the in-house roles.

Some trends that I am seeing more and more include the following:

1. The Recruitment Process is taking way longer due primarily to hybrid working. The window where employers and candidates can meet is becoming smaller and smaller. This also results in cancellations and deferring of interviews, especially F2F.
2. Burnout seems to be more common. This has increased markedly in trade associations. Trade Associations would normally be seen to be more ‘stress free’. This causes major issues in some of the smaller trade associations where they do not have the resources to redeploy the absentee’s workload. 
3. Sexy Company v Sexy Work. More and more I see people really demotivated in their roles because they moved to a really interesting/cool sector, but this is not mirrored in their day to day work
4. Less Events/Networking Opportunities. It is becoming more difficult to ensure good attendance at Events. This in turn means younger people have less opportunities to find jobs or improve network (Note to the younger generation, networking is NOT going to an event, taking pictures /notes, posting on socials and then leaving before the drinks. The REAL networking takes place after the panel finishes talking.
5. Trump Effect. Some sectors seem to be reticient to engage/invest in hires due to concerns relating to what Trump will say or do next. This is has a detrimental effect on the job market. 
6. Consultancy Chaos. Some consultancies are experiencing very high staff turnover and reduction in staff numbers. Others are seeing exponential growth. Most of this is down to culture and/or control from a HQ in the US/UK, who have little or no understanding of the Brussels market. Those with an infinite mindset during COVID and post-COVID are reaping the benefits (shout out to Simon Sinek).

So my tuppence worth for the reader over the next few weeks and months: September will bring with it a much busier time and many people starting new roles (and leaving gaps behind).

Employers

• If  you have gaps in your staffing or have investment hires to make, start today, September will be here before you know it. Don’t leave it until mid August. You will not manage a F2F and with the delays aforementioned and notice period, your hire may not start until 2026 (you also risk the hire being taken out of the budget if Q3 is bad). Give me a call if you wish to discuss!

Candidates

• If you are offered F2F, take it. Do not sit in your bedroom in Overijse because you requested a teams call. You will need to do a F2F at some point, so remove a step. It also gives an indication of your commitment to working in the office.
• If you are offered some times/dates for interview, take the first available time. The later you leave it, the more chance it will be cancelled.
• Don’t be late…………get to your interview early and facture in metro delays and security delays at reception.

Mark Cunningham, CEO Cunningham Executive Search