Notes on the Economic and Social Impact of Migrants in Belgium during the 20th Century

The aim  of this paper is to illustrate the impact of migrants on the Belgian economy and society during the 20th century. The paper analyses the effects of the arrival of foreign labour hired to work in the Belgian mines and factories and the role of small immigrant craftsmen. This presentation will contribute to better define immigrants adaptation patterns and better understand the immigration experience in Belgium. It will examine how the newcomers formed neighborhoods in their new homeland, their occupation and eventual mobility. The process by which immigrants adjusted to their new environment, settled in the host cities, found jobs and the ways they improved their material conditions, exploited the possibilities for upward socio-economic mobility and developed an organized community will be described. This paper also focuses on the related immigrant-led changes of the Belgian life style as to food, music, sport, agronomics etc. It will thus evaluate the immigrant impact on the Belgian society and economic development since the 1950s.