Hiring a refrigeration technician in Belgium: pay, scarcity and how to find one
Everything you want to know before you open a vacancy for a refrigeration technician: what the market pays, how hard the profile is to find, what candidates weigh and how we search.
The facts at a glance
| Market-rate gross range | €3,000 – €4,300 gross per month per month, premiums and benefits excluded; from our role profiles and vacancy data |
|---|---|
| Employer cost per year | €54,822 to €78,578 indication for a full-time blue-collar, including employer social security, holiday pay and year-end premium |
| Bottleneck profession | Yes. VDAB lists "Koeltechnicus" on the 2026 list of bottleneck professions. |
| Joint committee | often in these committees; the committee follows your company's main activity |
| Statute | blue-collar |
Source for scarcity: VDAB, Knelpuntberoepen 2026 (read on 2026-10-03).
Why is a refrigeration technician hard to find?
A refrigeration technician needs a legal certificate and years of practice on different refrigerants. The transition to natural refrigerants makes experienced people even scarcer.
Who hires a refrigeration technician?
Installers of industrial and commercial refrigeration, maintenance contractors, food companies with their own refrigeration plants and data centres.
What does a refrigeration technician weigh before moving?
A well-equipped van, an on-call arrangement that is fairly paid, training on new refrigerants and an employer that pays for and keeps track of certificates.
How we search for this profile
We search per region and per type of installation and check the certificate before we propose anyone. HVAC technicians with a refrigeration basis who want to specialise also come into view.
How an assignment runs
- Vacancy intake. We discuss the technical context, the team, responsibilities, salary, must-haves and desired timing.
- Market approach. Active search, network outreach and selection of professionals relevant to your role.
- In-depth screening. We assess experience, technical knowledge, motivation, availability and salary expectations.
- Selective shortlist. We only introduce candidates who have been interviewed and have given their consent.
- Guidance and follow-up. We support interviews, feedback and the offer, and follow up after the start.
What we are looking for right now
A selection of the assignments open today, so you can see in which sectors and regions we are active for this role.
- HVAC & Refrigeration Technician · Brussels
- Field Service Technician Industrial Cooling · Antwerp province
- Refrigeration Technician Chillers & HVAC · Aalst-Ghent region, East Flanders
Need a refrigeration technician?
During the intake we discuss the role, the package and the feasibility, and tell you honestly what we can and cannot find. You generally only pay when you hire someone.
Frequently asked questions
What does a refrigeration technician cost as an employer?
On top of the gross salary you pay employer social security, holiday pay and usually a year-end premium. For the market-rate range that comes to roughly €54,822 to €78,578 per year as an indication. The employer cost calculator works it out for your own amount and statute.
Is refrigeration technician a bottleneck profession?
The answer is in the facts above, with the cause VDAB gives. The list is renewed every year; we re-read it at every new edition.
Which joint committee covers a refrigeration technician?
The joint committee follows your company's main activity, not the role. This profile usually sits in PC 149.01, PC 111, PC 124. Our sector pages give the pay scale, the indexation and the premiums per committee.
What do I pay AltusConnect?
In most assignments you only pay when you hire someone, as a percentage of the gross annual salary or as a fixed amount. If the hire ends within the guarantee period, we find a replacement free of charge. We do not ask for exclusivity. The details are on the page about how we work and charge.