The employment in Belgium's food and beverage services sector exhibited fluctuations over the past decade. Notably, 2019 and 2020 experienced significant downturns, respectively -9.84% and -5.06%, likely influenced by external economic or industry-specific factors. However, the sector demonstrated resilience with a substantial rebound in 2021, showing a 16.08% increase. By 2023, the employment levels were recorded at 163.93 thousand employees, marking a progression though subdued growth with year-on-year increments of 0.78% and 0.77% in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The five-year CAGR from 2019 to 2023 indicated a marginal average yearly growth of 0.18%.
Looking ahead, forecasts suggest a steady increase in employment in the sector, culminating in 170.0 thousand employees by 2028. The anticipated five-year CAGR stands at 0.58%, implying moderate growth. Future trends to watch for include the impact of technological advancements in service operations, potential changes in consumer dining behaviors, and economic fluctuations that could influence employment demand.
