Working as an electromechanic: tasks, training and career
The all-rounder of the technical shop floor: mastering electricity and mechanics to assemble, maintain and repair machines.
At a glance
| Where you work | Manufacturers in metal, chemicals and food, installation companies, machine builders and maintenance contractors. |
|---|---|
| Status | Blue-collar |
| Joint committees | PC 111, PC 149.01, PC 116, PC 118 |
| Bottleneck profession | Yes, according to VDAB |
| Working hours | Often shifts |
| Certificates | BA4 and BA5 (instructed and skilled person), VCA diploma (B-VCA, VOL-VCA, VIL-VCU), Aerial platform certificate (IS-005, IPAF) |
What you do as electromechanic
- Assemble, adjust and commission machines and installations
- Replace mechanical wear parts: bearings, belts, chains, gearboxes
- Trace electrical faults in control cabinets, motors and cabling
- Perform preventive maintenance rounds and report deviations
- Weld, turn or fit small modifications in the workshop
What employers ask for
- Training in electromechanics (secondary or graduate) or equivalent through experience
- Mechanical insight and basic electrical knowledge, with the will to deepen both
- Reading technical drawings and electrical schematics
- Working skilfully and precisely, also when production is waiting for you
- Attestations such as VCA and electrical competence are an asset
What does an electromechanic do?
In the VDAB occupational information, working as an electromechanic falls under Industrieel elektromecanicien. You maintain the mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical and electronic parts of industrial machines and installations, following the safety rules.
Training and certificates
You usually become an electromechanic through secondary school: the third-stage programmes in electromechanical techniques, electrical installations or mechanical design, or a seventh year as electromechanic, electrical technician or industrial electricity technician, often with internships or dual learning. As an electromechanic you can then continue with the associate degree in electromechanical systems, and VDAB offers job seekers an electromechanics course.
For work as an electromechanic, employers often ask for BA4 and BA5 (instructed and skilled person), VCA diploma (B-VCA, VOL-VCA, VIL-VCU) and Aerial platform certificate (IS-005, IPAF).
Shift work and standby duty
Electromechanics in production often join the plant's shift system, from two shifts to full-continuous; in workshops and at machine builders you mostly work days. If you work as an electromechanic between 20:00 and 06:00, the FPS Employment counts that as night work, for which new rules apply since 1 June 2026.
Growing as electromechanic
Electromechanic is the ideal springboard: after a few years you grow into maintenance technician, service technician or, with PLC training, towards automation. Each of those paths raises your pay noticeably.
If you'd rather broaden than deepen, you grow into team leader or workshop supervisor. The broad base of this trade means you're rarely stuck.
Pay at a glance
Our pay range: €2,800 - €4,000 gross per month, without premiums and fringe benefits, based on the vacancies we fill.
Sector minimum
- PC 111, national minimum hourly wage: 16.2682 to 17.1244 euros gross per hour, valid from 1 July 2026
- PC 149.01, minimum hourly wages, blue-collar workers (38-hour week): 16.88 to 26.82 euros gross per hour, valid from 1 January 2026
- PC 116, minimum hourly wage per weekly schedule: 15.7495 to 16.7690 euros gross per hour, valid from 1 November 2026
Lowest and highest amount in the pay scale table; which amount applies to you depends on your class or category and your experience.
Sources for this data: see the list at the bottom.
What public sources report
| Source | Job title at the source | What the source reports | Sample and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talent.com | Elektromechanicien | Median 36,062 euros per year; low to high: 35,100 to 36,827 (gross or net not stated) | 9 salaries reported; no date stated; small sample |
| Statbel | ISCO 741 Installateurs en reparateurs van elektrische apparatuur en leidingen | Average 3,496 euros per month (gross) | number not stated; figures for October 2022, full time, companies with 10 or more employees; broad occupational group |
Not included: Glassdoor (blocks automated reading), Indeed (shows a different job), Jobat (blocks automated reading), StepStone (blocks automated reading), PayScale (no salary page for this job in Belgium).
Why do these figures differ so much? They don't measure the same thing. Glassdoor, Indeed, PayScale and Talent.com count salaries people report themselves or that appear in job ads, often without saying whether they are gross or net. Jobat gives an average gross salary without a sample. Statbel measures officially, but per broad occupational group and for October 2022, so before the indexations of the following years.
The unit differs too: per hour, per month or per year. We convert nothing, because an annual salary may include twelve or thirteen months and holiday pay, and an hourly wage depends on your weekly schedule. A small sample can be far off because of a few outliers.
The full pay explanation, with premiums and net pay: What does an electromechanic earn in Belgium?→
Open vacancies
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Frequently asked questions
Is electromechanic a bottleneck profession?
Yes, working as an electromechanic is on the VDAB list of bottleneck professions for 2026, as "Industrieel elektromecanicien". According to VDAB, finding an electromechanic is hard because there are too few job seekers available and candidates often lack the right experience or training. VDAB also counts "Industrieel elektromecanicien" among the ten largest bottleneck professions.
Which joint committee covers an electromechanic?
As an electromechanic you fall under the joint committee that matches your employer's activity, not a committee for your job. For an electromechanic these are usually PC 111, PC 149.01, PC 116 and PC 118. As an electromechanic you usually work as a blue-collar employee.
Sources
Checked on 3 November 2026 unless stated otherwise.
- VDAB, beroepeninformatie Industrieel elektromecanicien (checked on 13 November 2026)
- VDAB, Knelpuntberoepen 2026
- Onderwijskiezer (CLB), overzicht studierichtingen derde graad secundair onderwijs
- Vlaamse overheid, Hogeronderwijsregister: erkende graduaats-, bachelor- en masteropleidingen, academiejaar 2026-2027
- VDAB, opleiding elektromechanica voor werkzoekenden
- FOD Werkgelegenheid, minimumlonen.be: sectorale minimumlonen per paritair comité
- Codex over het welzijn op het werk, boek III titel 2 Elektrische installaties (FOD WASO, pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- BeSaCC-VCA: VCA info (checked on 23 October 2026)
- FOD Werkgelegenheid: attest voor het besturen van een gemotoriseerd transportwerktuig (opleidingsplicht Codex I.2-16 tot I.2-21) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Codex over het welzijn op het werk, boek IV titel 3 Mobiele arbeidsmiddelen (FOD WASO, pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Codex over het welzijn op het werk, boek I titel 4 Gezondheidstoezicht (FOD WASO, pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- FOD Werkgelegenheid: attest voor het besturen van een gemotoriseerd transportwerktuig (checked on 23 October 2026)
- BeSaCC-VCA: Register van Risicovolle Taken, versie 2020-01 (pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- BeSaCC-VCA: info risicovolle taken (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Talent.com, lonen voor Elektromechanicien in België (checked on 13 November 2026)
- Statbel, gemiddelde bruto maandlonen per beroep (oktober 2022), ISCO 741 (checked on 13 November 2026)
- minimumlonen.be, PC 111 metaalverwerkingsondernemingen, geldig vanaf 01/07/2026
- minimumlonen.be (FOD Werk), PSC 149.01 elektriciens: installatie en distributie, geldig vanaf 01/01/2026
- minimumlonen.be (FOD Werk), PC 116 scheikundige nijverheid, nationaal minimumuurloon, geldig vanaf 01/11/2026 (checked on 9 November 2026)
- FOD Werkgelegenheid, Nachtarbeid (regels vanaf 1 juni 2026)
Spotted an error or an outdated source? Report it to the editorial team
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