Inflation, the biggest challenge of the moment

Langst one hand, Link2Europe is a recruitment agency like any other, with the exception that we source our talent for temporary and permanent employment from abroad. From just about every European country, we screen candidates based on competencies, attitude, drive and qualifications. Where we are the odd man out is in our services. And that is one of our biggest challenges at the moment. How do you maintain competitive prices for clients, but provide comfort for your candidates in these times of high inflation?

Link2Europe is much more than a temp or recruitment agency because at least half of our time and effort goes into supporting the candidates we bring to Belgium. We support them with education apps, collective start-up days, applications to the municipality, with housing and a car or bike in the first months of their arrival. That's why, as a client with Link2Europe, you will always pay a bit more for a talented workforce than with a standard temp or recruitment agency. We provide the ontzorging, but with inflation, we too are seeing our prices rise. The reason? Read along!

The rents

From the beginning, Link2Europe has been working with private (rental) houses where foreign talent can stay before they have found their own housing. But when CIB Flanders' new rental barometer shows that average rent has increased by 3.7 % since 2021, then you know there is a problem. Those who rent in Flanders today have to pay an average of 801 euros per month for it.

Kristophe Thijs (CIB Flanders) attributes this price increase to 2 factors: "We see slightly more lettings of terraced houses, semi-detached houses and detached houses. Not spectacularly, but enough to pull the average price upwards. In addition, increased inflation also plays a role. That ran to more than 10 percent this year."

Transportation

And it goes even further than housing because at Link2Europe we also provide available transportation so that new employees get to work. Usually this takes the form of an electric bicycle or a pool car. And here too, 2022 brought price increases.
We currently have 55 pool cars provided to our candidates and the cost of keeping them up-and-running has increased by 25%. The cost of the 80 electric bikes has even more than doubled. Here we have to reckon with an increase of 54%. And that additional cost, of course, we have to recover somewhere.

The wages

Inflation knows no mercy and wages are rising along with it. There was another overshoot in October and as a result, wages are rising again by 2%. And it probably won't be the last of this year because the plan office also predicts another overshoot in December. Still ahead: overruns in March and June 2023.

How to proceed?

And so why continue to offer that support? Because we at Link2Europe see it as an expression of respect and warmth for the candidate. They end up in a completely different country and then it is only natural that we try to help and integrate them as much as possible. Wellbeing is one of our core values, and we fulfill it by treating our workforce with respect. It is therefore more than normal for us to continue to support our foreign talent, even in times of high inflation. Candidates also have a wide choice and may as well choose one of our neighboring countries. It is therefore necessary to support them as best we can. And in addition, this way we also guarantee their integration in the long term.