Willis Towers Watson : Belgian graduates enjoy 11% pay premium over school leavers in their first job

By Hugues Munaut, Beatriz Castro and Paul Platt

BRUSSELS, 8 January 2019 - People starting their careers with a bachelor's university degree earn a maximum average of €36,574 in Belgium, which is 11% more than the €32,803 paid to those who stop their education at high school.

The latest Willis Towers Watson Starting Salaries Report looked at pay levels offered to recent graduates who had no relevant work experience. It found that having a master's degree led to a maximum average pay of €41,932, an MBA €46,753, and a doctorate €47,446.

There was a wide range of pay offered to those in entry level 'starter' roles. With a bachelor's degree, those entering IT were the best paid, with a maximum average of €37,729, closely followed by law (€37,336) and marketing (€37,267). The lowest paid were in customer services and technical support roles (€35,818), and administrative services (€35,876).

Starting salaries for bachelor's degree graduates in Belgium compared favorably with those in neighboring France (€35,418) and the Netherlands (€37,003), but are lower than in Germany (€46,547).

The highest maximum starting salary found in the survey was €43,151 for those entering marketing roles with an advanced degree, such as a masters or PhD. 31.7% of Belgium's workforce of 5.3 million has completed tertiary education.

Beatriz Castro, of Willis Towers Watson Belgium, said: 'With unemployment figures continuing to decrease, and a tightening in the market for attracting young professionals, it is increasingly important that employers know the right levels of pay to remain competitive. Educated, skilled young professionals are highly sought after, and employers need an agile employee value proposition to attract them.'

About the report

The Willis Towers Watson 2018 Starting Salaries Report - Europe, Middle East and Africa is based on the responses of 4,695 organizations reporting data from 33 countries.