This is why many international companies are loathe to hire new employees in France. They'll get contractors, sure. But real employees can be a major pain to deal with from an HR perspective, and be that major pain for a year or more.
Belgium isn't much different. I lived and worked there for almost eight years, and I saw this problem in spades from the other side.
Belgium isn't much different. I lived and worked there for almost eight years, and I saw this problem in spades from the other side.