The Belgian labour market during and after the crisis

The article looks at the impact that the 2008-2009 recession had on the Belgian labour market and, whilst taking account of the varying severity and duration of the economic downturn, draws a comparison with other European countries. More specifically, the consequences are investigated with regard to the adaptation of volume of labour and labour costs, and also the composition of employment. The analysis for Belgium shows that the crisis was accompanied by a less than proportional contraction in the volume of labour, resulting in a fall in labour productivity. The reduction in the volume of labour was only partly reflected in the trend in employment as the use of measures aimed at limiting working time, with a considerable fall in the number of hours worked per employee as a result, was accompanied by considerable labour hoarding. In general terms, the crisis did not result in a fall in the activity rate, but there is a major risk of discouragement among low-skilled young people. The increase in long-term unemployment points in turn to the threat of a rise in structural unemployment, which may adversely affect the potential for growth in the economy. The crisis did not have a moderating effect on the trend in hourly labour costs. After allowing for the productivity trend, the labour cost handicap, expressed in unit labour costs, narrowed temporarily with respect to the three neighbouring countries, but an increase in this handicap was once again posted in 2010.labour hoarding, long-term unemployment, labour productivity, labour cost handicap, hysteresis

Working time and forms of employment in Belgium

The article discusses developments over the past two decades in regard to working time and alternative forms of employment, placing the trends seen in Belgium in an international perspective. It also examines whether the Belgian regulations on this subject are stricter than those in the other EU-15 countries. For the Belgian working population, the usual working time averaged 37 hours per week in 2004, whereas in 1983 it was a little over 40 hours. There are wide variations within the EU-15. Belgian working time is somewhat shorter than the average for the EU-15, and that also applies to employees. The average working time ascertained for the various countries is influenced by the employment structure. After adjustments for that factor, the differences are definitely smaller, and working time in Belgium is roughly the same as the EU-15 average. The decline in average working time and the increased dispersion which have emerged over the years are inevitably connected with the growing use of part-time working and other alternative forms of employment such as temporary work, employment during non-standard hours, overtime working, variable working hours and home working. In many cases this satisfies a genuine preference on the part of the persons concerned, e.g. those seeking a better balance between work and family life. However, since these forms of employment are more common among risk groups such as women, older workers, the young and the low-skilled, there is a danger of further segmentation of the labour market. On the demand side of the labour market, the alternative forms of employment give employers a range of instruments which are conducive to a flexible production process.working time, part-time employment, temporary work, overtime, flexibility

Dutch survey pyrrolizidine alkaloids in animal forage

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are secondary plant metabolites produced by a number of plants from the Asteraceae (Compositae), Boriginaceae and Fabaceae (Leguminosae) families. Many of these alkaloids have been shown to be highly toxic, causing hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), liver cirrhosis and ultimately death. PAs may have also mutagenic and carcinogenic potential. Amongst livestock, cattle and horses are especially susceptible to the toxic effects of the PAs. Humans may also be at risk by the consumption of milk of livestock fed with PA-contaminated forage. At RIKILT - Institute of Food Safety a (semi)quantitative method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the determination of PAs in animal feeds has been developed and validated. This method comprises 40 macrocyclic PAs (including tertiary amines and N-oxides) representative for ragwort species. The method has been used for the analysis of 147 forage samples collected in 2006-2008

Gait and electromyographic analysis of patients recovering after limb-saving surgery

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