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      The Walloon Region has published a revised list of bottleneck occupations, effective from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. The list has been reduced from 56 to 31 occupations, with additions in healthcare, food production, HVAC, and technical maintenance, alongside removals and reclassifications across construction, transport, automotive, and industrial roles.1,2

      The revision may affect employers using economic migration routes to recruit third country nationals in Wallonia and should be factored into workforce and recruitment planning.

      WHY THIS MATTERS

      The revised list significantly narrows the range of roles eligible under the Walloon shortage-occupation route. Employers should promptly verify whether planned or ongoing third country national hires remain covered, particularly where a role has been removed, consolidated, or redefined.

      Positions no longer included will require an alternative work-authorization route and will be subject to different eligibility requirements or processing timelines. Inclusion on the list may facilitate access to the relevant route but does not remove the need to satisfy all applicable conditions for the category in which the employer applies for a “Single Permit.”

      Early review of eligibility and alternative routes will help employers limit delays and maintain compliance with regional immigration requirements.

      Wallonia updates bottleneck occupation list

      Effective period and scope

      The revised list applies from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. Occupations included on the list may benefit from the Walloon shortage-occupation route when employers recruit qualified third country nationals. Inclusion does not, however, guarantee approval or remove the need to meet all applicable conditions.

      The list identifies professions for which employer demand significantly exceeds the number of qualified jobseekers and may support economic migration applications for foreign workers qualified for shortage roles.

      Scale of the revision

      The updated list contains 31 occupations, compared with 56 occupations under the previous version.

      Newly added occupations

      Several occupations are now explicitly included:

      • Operator of industrial textile machines
      • Meat slaughterer
      • Meat cutter/deboner
      • Food production line operator
      • Nurse
      • Family care assistant
      • Inland navigation captain

      Occupations removed from the list

      The removals are concentrated in the following areas:

      • Construction and Installation: site supervision, residential and industrial electrical work, sanitary and central-heating installation, joinery, tiling, masonry, road construction, and water-pipe installation.
      • Manufacturing and Industrial Production: chemical-industry installation operation, industrial automation, electromechanical maintenance, communication networks and security systems, maintenance electricity, and general maintenance mechanics.
      • Transport and Logistics: bus and coach driving, heavy-goods vehicle driving, and driving instruction.
      • Automotive: vehicle-paint technicians and bodywork preparers.

      Employees engaged in a bottleneck occupation that appeared on a previous list of bottleneck occupations, but has since been removed, remain eligible to renew their existing Single Permit on the basis of that former bottleneck occupation, provided that all conditions are met. This includes, in particular, renewal of the Single Permit with the same employer, for the same position, and under the same working conditions, among other applicable requirements.²

      Renamed, broadened, or consolidated occupations

      Several occupations have been broadened, consolidated, or redefined rather than simply removed.

      For example:

      Previous Occupation

      Updated Occupation

      Nature of Change

      Heavy Steel Structure Installer/ Erector

      Steel Structure Installer/Erector

      Broadened

      Pitched Roof Roofer

      Roofer

      Broadened

      Machine Tool Setter-Operator

      One combined category

      Consolidated

      Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician

      Refrigeration Technician

      HVAC Technician

      Split into two categories

      Industrial Maintenance Manager

      Industrial Maintenance Technician

      Redefined

      Automotive Technician

      Automotive Maintenance and Diagnostic Technician

      Redefined

      Accountant

      In-house Accountant/Internal Accountant

      Narrowed

       

      Key trends

      • Construction and industrial skills remain prominent: structural works, roofing, metal construction, piping, industrial maintenance, and manufacturing roles continue to feature.
      • Food-processing roles receive greater attention: New entries include meat-processing and food-production occupations.
      • Healthcare remains a priority: Nurses are now explicitly included alongside care-related occupations.
      • Transport and installation roles left out: Several driving, electrical, plumbing, and heating occupations were removed.

      KPMG INSIGHTS

      In light of the changes, employers might consider the following:

      • Map the actual duties of each vacancy to the wording of the revised occupation list.
      • Review planned and pending third country national hires involving roles that were removed, consolidated, or redefined.
      • Consider alternative work-authorization routes where the shortage-occupation route is no longer available.
      • Build sufficient lead time into recruitment and onboarding plans.

      Regional differences remain important

      Belgium’s regions apply separate shortage-occupation lists and economic migration rules. A role qualifying in Wallonia may not qualify on the same basis in Brussels or Flanders. Timely review of recruitment needs and mobility plans can help employers use available routes while maintaining compliance.

      If assignees and/or their programme managers have questions about the scope of this update, its application, potential impact or appropriate next steps, they should consult their qualified professional or a member of the GMS Immigration team with KPMG in Belgium (see the Contacts section).

      ENDNOTES:

      1  Walloon Government (in Dutch), “List of Bottleneck Occupations,” effective 1 October 2026.

      2  Wallex (in Dutch) “Arrêté du Gouvernement wallon relatif à l'admission au travail de travailleurs étrangers,” published on 6 June 2024.

      Contacts

      Nele Godefroid

      Director, Global Mobility Services

      KPMG in Belgium

      Premila Autar

      Supervisor

      KPMG in Belgium

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      The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in Belgium.

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