Luxembourg, despite its relatively small size, boasts a buoyant job market covering many professional fields – from banking and law, to media and IT, and teaching or telecommunications. There’s also an interesting and accessible arts, culture and music scene.
So if you feel stuck in a rut at your current workplace, fancy a change of career direction, if you’re returning to work or are new to Luxembourg, here is some useful information on finding a new job.
In addition to information in this article on agencies, salaries, contracts and CVs, you can also read our articles on getting your qualifications recognised, getting your residence permit or visa, and adult education choices for those looking to upskill or retrain. You can also find out more on contracts, hours and holidays.
Luxembourg’s key economic sectors include finance, the digital economy, research, healthcare, audiovisual production, environmental technology, aerospace and logistics (you can find a list of the country’s biggest employers here). It is also home to a number of EU institutions including the European Court of Justice, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Investment Bank.
While many jobs are advertised in English, you may be required to have a working knowledge of another language such as French, German or Luxembourgish, and you should always apply for a job in the language used in the job description.
The agence pour la développement de l’emploi, known as ADEM, is Luxembourg unemployment agency. It has a job board (in English) here, and you can find your nearest ADEM office here.
You can register as a jobseeker and benefit from ADEM services online or via their contact centre on 247 88 888. You will be informed by email or letter of the place, date and time of any appointments and what documents to bring. The contact centre is open Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 12.00 and 13.00 to 17.00 on 247 88 888 or you can complete an online appointment request on the ADEM website here.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is a good place to start:
Recruitment for Luxembourg’s public sector can be found here, and for the EU institutions, here. If you intend to apply to the EU institutions you can download a Europass CV template here.
You can find advice on CVs and application forms through ADEM’s portal, and the Chamber of Employees website offers a useful series of standard forms of contracts and job application letters here.
CVs are usually a maximum of two pages in length, and should provide previous experience and training, language competencies and computer/office skills. It is likely your language competencies will be checked so be accurate. A photograph can be enclosed or added digitally.
In some cases, you might be asked to submit a police report. You can apply for one here.
Luxembourg’s minimum wage is assessed every two years by the government. As of January the unqualified minimum social wage is €2,201.93 while for qualified jobs it is €2,642.32 – the highest statutory minimum wage across EU countries.
The standard working week is set at 40 hours, but Luxembourg is part of the EU directive that sets a maximum 48 hour working week.
Women and men must be paid the same salary for equivalent jobs. This is also the case for fixed-term contracts and those in permanent roles. Part-time employees should be paid on a pro-rata basis. More information on the social minimum wage and indexation of salaries is available here.
You can find out more about the different types of contracts on the Chamber of Employees website and on guichet.lu or read our guide to Contracts, hours and holidays.
Luxembourg is part of the European Higher Education Area, which means qualifications from member countries are recognised. If you come from a non-EU member country, you will need to get your qualifications recognised.
You can find out more about getting your qualifications recognised (including professional qualifications in medicine, nursing or law) in this article.
The government provides useful information for job seekers here and on career planning here. If you’re thinking of starting your own business, you can find more information here, or if you would like to volunteer, check out our article on where you can volunteer your time.
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