Wilfried Rauws studied at the University of Antwerp and then obtained a special degree in social law at the Free University of Brussels. He started his professional career as a scientific assistant at the University of Antwerp and obtained with the highest distinction his PhD in law in 1986 on the topic of the civil law termination of the employment relationship.

He was a lawyer at the Antwerp Bar from 1986 until 2001 in the law firm of the late Chairman of the Antwerp Bar Association Jos Van Goethem. Afterwards, he started his academic career, successively as senior lecturer, professor and full professor of labour law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel until September 2021. He worked part-time as a senior lecturer at Maastricht University until 2020. he was the Dean of the Faculty of Law and Criminology at the Free University of Brussels from 2014 to 2018.

He was a deputy judge at the Labour Court of Antwerp. He is currently a deputy judge at the Antwerp Court of Appeal, the Belgian member of the European Labour Law Network and chief editor of the most important Flemish law journal Rechtskundig Weekblad.