Luxembourg is known for being an extremely wealthy country, and with a GDP per capita of €115,000, it ranks first in the world. Unemployment is virtually non-existent, and the rate is expected to be around 4.5% in 2022.
Luxembourg citizens are almost exclusively employed in the public sector, while employees in private companies are almost all foreigners or cross-border commuters, French or German, who commute to work in Luxembourg every day.
There is a minimum wage set by law, which today is €2,313 gross per month for an unskilled worker. This amount increases by 20% for a skilled worker and decreases from 20% to 25% in the case of a minor worker.
To be considered a qualified worker, you must meet some requirements:
- You must have a professional license and at least two years of professional experience
- You must have 6/10 years of professional experience in your industry if you do not have a professional degree
Jobs in Luxembourg
Since there is no unemployment, in theory it should be quite easy to find a job in Luxembourg, but as always it depends on your qualifications, your skills and your command of these 4 languages: French, English, German and Luxembourgish.
The first language you absolutely must know is French. If you work for an international company, English is required. German is not usually required, but if you know it, you have an advantage. Luxembourgish you need to watch TV, not much else. However, the more languages you speak, the more opportunities you will have. Also, knowledge of other languages such as: Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, etc. are an advantage.
EU/EEA citizens and Swiss do not need a visa to work in Luxembourg, while non-EU citizens need a work permit, which is not easy to obtain given the competition from the many Europeans looking for job opportunities in the country every day.
Even though it is not a matter of course to find a job in Luxembourg, I would say:
- if you do not need a visa
- you work in the financial sector
- you speak not only English but also French.
You have a good chance to find a job.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a low-skilled job (cleaner, shop assistant, etc.), you should know that you will have to fight with the thousands of French cross-border workers who come to Luxembourg every day to get double what they would get in France. And if you have to live in Luxembourg on the same salary, it gets a bit more complicated: a one-bedroom apartment can easily cost you €1,000 to €1,200 per month, and food is expensive, too. Many foreigners who find work in Luxembourg decide to live in a French or German city near the border and commute daily.
Most in-demand jobs in Luxembourg
Financial services are the engine of Luxembourg’s economy. Luxembourg is the main European banking center with around 150 banks operating on its territory.
Although there is no official list of shortage jobs in the country, we can say that the most in-demand jobs can be found in the following sectors:
- finance, (accountants, financial security professionals, etc.)
- hospitality, (cooks, qualified kitchen staff, waiters, etc.)
- health, (doctors, nurses, OSS, etc.)
- construction, (masons, carpenters, etc.)
If you speak only one language, you will have a harder time finding a job, but it could happen. For example, with only English in the financial sector, or with only French to work in the kitchen or in the cleaning industry. However, if you have a job where you come into contact with people (waiter, shop assistant, etc.), you will always need to speak more than one language.
Work culture in Luxembourg
The work environment is truly international, as almost all workers in private companies are foreigners. Therefore, it is fair to say that workplaces in Luxembourg are always multicultural and multilingual.
Luxembourg has strong employee representation, and this means that workplace rights and protections are very strong.
Jobs in Luxembourg, conclusion
The philosophy of the country is strongly united and the result is a strong sense of national solidarity. All citizens take care of the state and the state takes care of its citizens.
If you manage to find a job and settle in Luxembourg, you will enjoy a number of benefits: a completely free school system, no bureaucracy, an excellent health care system, excellent services, and last but not least, government policies that promote the integration of immigrants into the local community.
Yes, it is true that it is an expensive country to live in, but the salaries, if you do qualified work, are good and allow you to live well.
If you want to know more about working in Luxembourg, I recommend you to read the article Work in Luxembourg
