Brusselsruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
EU institutions & public affairs
European Commission, Council, Parliament, EEAS, trade associations, consultancies and law firms
Brussels hosts the largest concentration of lobbyists and public-affairs professionals outside Washington, and the EU Transparency Register lists thousands of organisations working the same square kilometre.
Diplomacy, defence & international organisations
NATO HQ, national delegations, Eurocontrol, hundreds of embassies and missions
NATO's headquarters sits on Boulevard Léopold III beside Brussels Airport, and Belgium hosts more accredited diplomats than almost any other country.
Finance & post-trade infrastructure
Euroclear, Swift, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING Belgium, Belfius, Degroof Petercam
Euroclear is one of the world's two international central securities depositories, and Swift — which routes interbank messaging globally — has its headquarters in La Hulpe on the city's southern edge.
Pharma, biotech & health
UCB, GSK Vaccines, Pfizer Puurs, IBA, university hospitals
UCB is headquartered in Anderlecht, and Belgium punches far above its weight in vaccines and clinical trials — GSK's global vaccines business is run from Wavre, half an hour south.
Telecoms, media & tech
Proximus, Orange Belgium, RTBF, VRT, Euronews Brussels bureau, Collibra
Brussels is the base for both national broadcasters and one of the densest international press corps in the world, alongside a small but real data and SaaS scene.
Professional services & competition law
The Brussels bar, the big four, global firms' EU antitrust practices
Because the European Commission's competition, trade and state-aid decisions are taken here, Brussels holds the deepest concentration of EU regulatory lawyers anywhere.
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