Jan Denys

Jan Denys graduated as a labor sociologist (KULeuven 1983). For the first 15 years of his career, he worked at the Higher Institute for Labor in Leuven, first as a researcher and later as a project manager. Over time, he appeared more and more in the media, as a commentator on current labor market issues and as a writer of opinion pieces. Jan Denys was one of the first academics to openly question the policy of early retirement in the labor market. Politicians, employers, and trade unions responded unanimously negatively.

In 1999, he made the transition to the private sector. At Randstad, he was a spokesperson, director of public affairs, and labor market expert. He also represented Randstad on the Global Board of the World Employment Confederation.
He published two books on Employer Branding and 'Free to work, for an open and modern labor market.' In 2015, he was appointed by the Flemish Minister of Labor as a member of the High Council for Employment.

At the end of 2024, he said goodbye to Randstad with the publication of the book 'Everyone at work,' which reviews 50 years of labor market developments and policies. Since then, he has been an independent labor market expert and at this point in his career, he has reached a stage where nothing is mandatory, yet all options remain open.