Long-term sickness – Back-to-work measures: 2024 follow-up of the recommendations

In December 2021, the Belgian Court of Audit published a report in which it examined whether return-to-work measures for people on long-term sickness leave – namely specific return-to-work paths for employees (supported by the federal department for work) or for jobseekers and unemployed (supported by the Institute for Health and Disability Insurance) – had a positive effect on them returning to work. As the Court's audit had made it clear that the return-to-work policy did not have the expected effect, the government decided to conduct an in-depth reform of the return-to-work process over the following years. Given the steady increase in the number of part-time workers compared to the number of workers incapable of work between 2017 and 2023, it can be considered that the return-to-work policy is gradually bearing fruit. This results notably from a reorganisation of the return-to-work process and from a more active involvement of employers, health insurance funds and persons declared incapable of work in this process thanks to specific accountability measures and new policy instruments enabling accurate and effective monitoring and assessment of the return-to-work policy. These measures will be further refined in 2024. The Court of Audit therefore concludes that two of its 2021 recommendations have been fully implemented and four of them only partially.