Employers and employees can set up a fund for social security at sectoral level. On the basis of a collective labour agreement, agreements are concluded concerning payments to this fund. The money in question can be used for various purposes:

The funds have legal personality; they are jointly managed by representatives of both the employers and the employees.

In certain sectors (such as the building sector) the financial obligations of the fund are quite demanding. This is a consequence of, amongst others, the fact that (re)training, for instance, is fully organised via the fund. These costs (in addition to the social security contributions) lead to an increase in the labour costs, thus encouraging moonlighting. Another problem concerns the benefits for union members. Some sectors provide supplements to the unemployment benefits in the event of economic unemployment, although these are limited to members of the representative trade unions. Sooner or later, this practice may very well clash with the prohibition of discrimination.