Brussels suffers from a rampant unemployment rate toping at 25% for a few years now. While unable to decrease this frightening figure, the various local authorities deserve an award for the skills in occupation management. Every now and then, we read grandiose announcements about the creation of all kinds of new socially-inclined McJobs such as public transportation stewards, neighbourhood entertainers, street educators, intercultural relations manager, office environment deputy-assistant, you named it.

I was recently amazed to see that there was an official, state-sponsored, cab steward at the exit of the Eurostar terminal. The sole duty of this kind fellow was to ask people whether they needed a ride, he would then write a number on a paper and hand it to the first cab driver available. As there were only a couple of cabs waiting, I still have no idea what was the point of his job besides to bias the stats...

How long will we have to wait to witness the central station hall haunted by shoeshiners kids?