Flexi-jobs: the royal decree sets the exclusions from the scope of application

A Royal Decree of 30 August 2026, signed by King Philippe and issued in Brussels, specifies the scope of flexi-jobs by implementing Article 2, §§ 1 to 4, of the Law of 16 November 2015 containing various social provisions. The text, published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 9 September 2026 (p. 49364-49365, reference C-2026/006522), enters into force on 1 July 2026.

The decree is adopted on the basis of the Law of 28 June 2026 containing various provisions concerning flexi-jobs (Article 15), following the opinion of the Council of State (No. 79.644/16 of 13 July 2026) and the National Social Security Office (26 June 2026). It is proposed by the Minister of Employment and the Minister of Social Affairs.

Exclusions in the private sector

Article 1 excludes workers and employers falling under several joint committees of the private sector from the flexi-job regime:

• domestic workers and their employers falling under the joint committee for building management, real estate agents, and domestic workers (CP 323);
• the joint committee for funeral directors (CP 320), with the exception of manual workers performing the activities referred to in Article 2/4 of the Law of 27 June 1969;
• the joint committee for agriculture (CP 144);
• the joint committee for horticulture (CP 145), with the exception of horticultural companies whose activity consists of the installation and/or maintenance of parks, gardens, sports fields, green zones, and cemeteries;
• the joint committee for sea fishing (CP 143), with the exception of shore-based staff and warehouse staff.

Ceiling in the public sector

Article 2 regulates flexi-job employment in the public sector, particularly for childcare (main NACE activity 88.91). For employers falling under the Flemish joint committee for social assistance and healthcare (CP 331) whose main activity is childcare, as well as for employers not subject to the Law of 5 December 1968 located in the Dutch-speaking region or depending on the Flemish Community, the annual volume of flexi-job employment is limited to 20% of the total annual volume of employment performed by all workers.

This total volume is assessed by the sum of the “µ (glob)” of all workers employed by the same employer, for all quarters of a calendar year, in accordance with the Royal Decree of 16 May 2003.

Scope of the measure

By precisely delimiting the excluded sectors, this royal decree secures the legal framework for flexible employment in Belgium and responds to the unanimous requests of the relevant joint committees, notably that of funeral directors (September 22, 2025). For employers and workers, it clarifies the sectors where the flexi-job regime does not apply, while maintaining targeted exceptions (manual workers, shore-based personnel, horticultural companies) that preserve flexibility where it is still deemed relevant.

Official source: Belgian Official Gazette of September 9, 2026, p. 49364-49365 — Royal Decree of August 30, 2026, reference C-2026/006522.