The long-awaited Coalition Agreement at a glance: what HR measures will employers face? | part 1: salary (cost) and benefits

The long-awaited Coalition Agreement at a glance: what HR measures will employers face? | part 1: salary (cost) and benefits
February 7, 2025

After months of negotiations, the Arizona parties forming the new government reached a Coalition Agreement on 31 January 2025. This Coalition Agreement has announced a number of ambitious measures that will bring about significant changes in employment and social security law.

The ALTIUS Employment Team will give you an overview of the most important announced HR measures in a series of 6 “highlights”. We have grouped these measures around the following 6 “domains”:

  1. Salary (cost) and benefits
  2. Working time
  3. Dismissal and unemployment
  4. End-of-career and pensions
  5. Incapacity for work and well-being
  6. (International) labour market

Every Wednesday and Friday, we will put the focus on a new domain.

In this first “highlight”, we elaborate on the measures that are in the pipeline regarding “Salary (cost) and benefits”.

All these measures will be further developed into legislation in the coming months and years. Some of them will also be subject to prior consultation between the employers’ organisations and the unions. The ALTIUS Employment Team is closely monitoring this process and will continue to update you about the important developments.

Happy reading!

Written by

  • Philippe De Wulf

    Partner

  • Emma Van Caenegem

    Partner

  • Esther Soetens

    Counsel

Recommended articles

September 16, 2026

Belgium immigration update: new Annex 64 and other changes for frontier workers

New rules recently came into force, modernising how frontier workers enter and leave Belgium. Frontier workers who do not have the nationality of an EEA country or Switzerland must now hold an Annex 64, or a specific D visa, to enter and leave Belgium for a period exceeding 90 days. This article gives a short overview of the main changes. Importantly, these changes do not affect a frontier worker’s right to work in Belgium.

Read on
July 10, 2026

New Flemish Fee for Single Permit Applications from 1 September 2026

As of 1 September 2026, employers applying for a single permit in the Flemish Region will be required to pay a retribution of EUR 180 per application. The retribution applies to both first applications and renewals and will be collected via the One-Stop Counter (“Uniek Loket” / “Guichet Unique”) at the time of submission. Applications […]

Read on
June 25, 2026

Are you up-to-date with the new rules on voluntary overtime hours?

Voluntary overtime hours are popular with employers because they allow them to have their employees perform overtime without any justification ground being required. Whilst the system was rather complex in the past, with two different types of voluntary overtime hours applying, namely “ordinary” voluntary overtime hours and the so-called “relance” overtime hours, it has now […]

Read on