Strong in Ghent

Social economy is a significant part of Ghent's economy. Social economy offers the unemployed, who have not (yet) managed to get regular employment, the possibility of finding work.

Considerable variety

The social economy is a subsidized economy: the Flemish authorities offer their conscious support. Some initiatives are in a beginning phase such as the local service economy, ‘invoegbedrijven' (companies subsidized to employee minority groups) and ‘dienstenchequebedrijven' (services companies accepting government subsidized ‘services checks'). Others, such as places of work that are specially designed to offer work opportunities to the handicapped and socially impaired, already have several years of experience. Numbers vary from just a few workers (local service economy) to hundreds of employees.

Work

Currently in the Ghent region there are 2,272 jobs in the social economy, not including ‘services checks'. By the end of 2013, the City of Ghent wants to create 1000 extra jobs in the social economy sector.