Luxembourg’s job agency referred a jobseeker for a position as a “dancer, stripper and escort” in what appears to be a nightclub in Ingeldorf, leading lawmakers to question what practices the government follows to help the unemployed to a job.
The referral, dated 4 May, caused outrage as it was doing the rounds on social media, with lawmakers addressing Labour Minister Georges Engel, who is responsible for the agency which helps jobseekers find work.
Jobseekers need to prove that they have contacted employers when they receive a referral from ADEM. If they do not, they may see their unemployment benefits cut, or the agency may stop sending other referrals. The person that received the position as a stripper had a qualification in ‘pedagogical dance’.
Lawmakers from the Greens are now asking whether the referral was within the bounds of the law, how the agency makes its decisions, and what penalties the job candidate could incur. They also asked why applicants’ rights were not being explained, such as potential appeals against the referral.
A position posted on an RTL job board by ADEM in December matching the description was still online until at least last month, the Luxembourg Times was able to establish, using the Internet Archive’s wayback machine.
Just over 14,500 jobseekers were registered with ADEM in March – some 800 fewer than a month ago and 4,100 fewer than a year ago.
Employers posted over 5,200 new vacancies last month and just under 12,000 posts were left to be filled at the end of March, ADEM said. Both statistics are record figures, according to ADEM.
The number of people receiving unemployment benefits also dropped by a quarter compared to a year ago, ADEM said.
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