Employment contracts

There are many different types of employment contracts possible under Belgian law, such as:

• A fixed-term employment contract is an employment contract made for a fixed period of time, whereby a specific date is set as to when the parties are released from their respective obligations. Successive fixed-term employment contracts are in principle prohibited but deviations are allowed under stringent conditions. This kind of employment contract is subject to stringent conditions.
• An open-ended employment contract is an employment contract whereby the parties have not made any provisions regarding the duration of the employment contract, so that they are deemed to have been made for an open-ended period of time.
• A specific assignment employment contract for clearly described work is an employment contract which does not stipulate a precise duration (e.g. working for ten months), but does precisely describe the work to be carried out. This kind of employment contract is subject to stringent conditions.
• A replacement contract is an employment contract made to replace an employee whose employment contract has been suspended for a reason other than lack of work due to economic causes, bad weather, strike or lock-out. This kind of employment contract is also subject to stringent conditions.
• A temporary employment contract (interim contract) is made between a temporary work agency (interim office) and an employee. This employment contract is only possible in specific cases and is subject to stringent conditions.