Luxembourg has 672,050 inhabitants, 47.3% of whom are foreign residents. Over 523,129 people were working in the country as of April 2025, an increase of +0.9% over the previous year. This growth reflects an economy where 170 different nationalities live and work together creating a European work environment that is truly unique.
An 2025 overview of the Luxembourg job market
Employees can be largely divided into three groups.
Cross-border commuters represent 230,000 people, or 47% of the workforce. Of these, 126,000 are from France, 52,000 from Belgium, and 52,000 from Germany (52,000). Foreign residents include Portuguese (93,659), French (49,071), Italians (23,881), and Belgians (19,962). Luxembourgers make up 25% of the workforce.
These numbers make Luxembourg a world-leader when it comes to the proportion of highly skilled workers. 60% of employees have a high-level of expertise.
The economy has several leading sectors. The financial sector employs one in ten employees. The industrial sector is booming thanks to companies such as ArcelorMittal and Goodyear. Emerging sectors such as space technologies (SES), media (RTL Group) or digital (Amazon, PayPal) mean more diverse opportunities.
A unique linguistic environment in Europe
The languages used largely depend on the sector. Internationalisation has further reinforced this linguistic segmentation.
French is the most common language used in Luxembourg. Recruiters from all sectors demand that applicants speak French, and it’s required for most jobs.
Luxembourgish is essential if you work in public administration, transport, and communication. Fluent Luxembourgish is often required for civil service jobs.
English is the main language for international jobs: 88.6% of ads on Jobs.lu require it. It is essential in scientific and financial jobs and if you work for a multinational.
German and Portuguese complete the linguistic landscape, depending on the organisations’ origin or the specific sector.
Finding work in Luxembourg: resources and procedures
The Agency for the Development of Employment (ADEM) is Luxembourg’s public employment service. Once you register, you can access its JobBoard, which lists public and private jobs. The advantage is if you register, you can consult a listing seven days before its general publication.
Work-in-luxembourg.lu focuses on understaffed sectors: finance, IT, business services, health, hospitality, engineering, research. This platform also runs online job fairs.
There are other resources to boost your chances. The Luxembourg press publishes its offers on Saturdays (Luxemburger Wort, Tageblatt) and Fridays (Lëtzebuerger Land, L’Essentiel). Private specialist sites like Moovijob.com, jobs.lu, ictjob.lu, financejobs.lu, MediNation.lu will also expand your search.
Good to know: Luxembourg is a world leader when it comes to talent
The IMD World Talent Ranking has ranked Luxembourg the third-best country in the world, after Switzerland and Sweden, for developing, attracting, and retaining talent.
Private, public, European: three pathways to employment
Three types of employers actively recruit in large numbers.
Private sector multinationals, family-owned SMEs and start-ups are constantly recruiting in all areas of work.
The civil service has three statutes, divided into 20 ministries and 113 administrations:
- Civil servant (exam-competition);
- Employee (contracted workers);
- Employee (salaried workers).
GovJobs.lu advertises civil services positions, and you can apply via the MyGuichet portal.
Finally, the European institutions (Court of Justice of the EU, European Investment Bank, European Court of Auditors and their agencies) offer international opportunities.
Recognition of degrees and qualifications
Some professions require official recognition of your foreign credentials. This obligation concerns regulated professions: medicine, teaching, pharmaceutical, architecture, access to the bar, artisanal activities requiring a CATP/DAP (Diploma of Vocational Aptitude).
The Department for the Recognition of Diplomas/Degrees of the Ministry of National Education examines each application. The procedure varies depending on where you obtained your qualifications.
For European Union degrees, you must have:
- A qualification that allows you to practise your profession in another EU Member State or
- At least a year’s professional experience with a certificate of competence.
Nursing and midwifery degrees are automatically recognised.
Degrees from ‘third-party’ countries are subject to additional criteria: hold a qualification officially recognised by an EU Member State and have three years of professional experience in that State.
It costs €75 to get a degree certified if it was issued by a country that has signed a recognition agreement, and €125 for countries that have not.
Your rights and duties at work
The Labour Code protects all Luxembourg private sector employees. Equality-wise, men and women receive the same level of pay. The working week is 40 hours based on eight hours per day. The weekly limit cannot exceed 48 hours.
Your salary is negotiated directly with your employer, and it must respect the legal minimum wage according to your qualifications.
Time off includes a minimum of 26 working days after three months of service, plus various special times off. Employees who are dismissed with notice get six paid working days to look for a new job.
Good to know: Take advantage of the tax advantages offered by Luxembourg legislation
In Luxembourg, certain expenses such as insurance premiums, loan interest, and savings are tax-deductible. Remember to gather all your supporting documents so you can correctly complete your tax return and fully benefit from the deductions provided by law.
Luxembourg is welcoming workers with open arms. Applicants have everything they need to succeed thanks to a dynamic economy, companies constantly on the lookout for new talent, plus a range of employment services. You just need to brush up your CV!
The three key takeaways:
- 523,129 people work in Luxembourg, three-quarters of whom are foreigners.
- On the language side: French opens most doors, English dominates the financial sector, and Luxembourgish is essential for administrative jobs.
- ADEM, the recognition of degrees, and labour laws are all services that will help you secure a job.
