Moving to Luxembourg Forums

Luxembourg Information · Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Posts: 17 Home Country: luxembourg

EMPLOYMENT IN LUXEMBOURG (Getting a Job)

The job market for foreigners

Finding a job in Luxembourg may not be quite as difficult as the statistics would lead you to believe, but it does take a certain amount of experience, a number of qualifications, a lot of perseverance and more than a little luck.

Luxembourg's unempoloyment rate ist one of the best in the world. If you’re a national of a European Union (EU) country, you already have the right to work in the Luxembourg under the EU’s freedom of movement provisions. Once you’ve found a job, you simply register with the appropriate authorities where you’ll be living and a residence permit is automatically granted. Non-EU nationals without automatic rights to work in Luxembourg will find it rather more difficult because any potential employer must seek the approval of the local labour or employment office in order to hire a non-EU foreigner.

Foreigners are found in large numbers throughout Luxembourg, and the numbers are probably much higher than official statistics suggest, as those working for the various international organisations often aren’t considered as residents. Luxembourg reports around 40 per cent foreigners in the general population. As in much of Europe, illegal immigration is considered a major problem. Like other European countries, Luxembourg has tightened the immigration laws in recent years, both to protect local citizens’ rights in a period of high unemployment and to discourage trafficking in economic refugees.

What qualifications do I need to work in Luxembourg

Luxembourg adheres to the EU’s general system of recognition of diplomas and qualifications, which means that if your occupation is regulated in Luxembourg, you’ll have to have your home country qualification or experience formally recognised in order to practise your profession in Luxembourg.

Certain professions (mostly in medicine) have been ‘harmonised’ across the EU, so you may find your qualifications are automatically accepted. For other professions, you must prove that your training and experience covered a similar subject matter and duration as that of the locally required qualification. You may also be required to demonstrate your fluency in one or more of the local languages. If you’re lacking in any significant respect, you may be given the opportunity to qualify by passing an examination or performing further supervised practice.

To determine what the qualification criteria are for your profession, contact the regulatory board or professional society for your profession in your home country. They will put you in contact with the appropriate agency in your destination country if they don’t have specific information about reciprocity.

It’s also possible, particularly if you practise a trade that is regulated in the country to which you plan to go, to obtain a Certificate of Experience, documenting three to six years’ practical experience. This can be particularly useful if you’ve been self-employed in a trade.

Under normal circumstances, any university degree or academic diploma should be recognised in Luxembourg, but if you anticipate any difficulties you should contact one of the National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARICs). These are available in all EU member states; a listing can be found on the Internet.

With 50 per cent of the work force foreign born and no national university system, Luxembourg is familiar with foreign qualifications, especially academic degrees and diplomas.

Public and Private Employment Agencies

There’s a European Employment Service (EURES) network, members of which include all EU countries plus Norway and Iceland.

The member states exchange information regularly on job vacancies, and local EURES offices have access to a considerable amount of information about applying for jobs and living and working conditions. The international department of your home country employment service can put you in touch with one of their Euro-advisers, who will give you advice on finding work in Luxembourg. Euro-advisors can also forward your details to the national employment service of the country you’re interested in. The EU website (http://europa.eu.int) contains information about EURES and EURES-related agencies in many European countries, as well as factsheets concerning specific countries.

Until fairly recently, the government employment service, ADEM (Administration de l’Emploi), was the only legally authorised recruitment agency in Luxembourg. Old habits die hard and ADEM offices are still an excellent place to start a job search, as most employers still list the majority of their job vacancies with them. Besides job postings, ADEM offers language training for foreigners (free of charge under certain circumstances if you’re looking for work). Even non-EU citizens can register with the national employment office to look for work in the Duchy.

Recruitment Agencies

Luxembourg is well served by private recruitment agencies, many of which operate on a European or worldwide basis. Some executive level management and information technology jobs are listed with headhunters in London or New York, particularly where broad international experience or English-language fluency is required. There’s also a variety of small to medium-size recruitment agencies in the US and UK specialising in international placements. Agents place advertisements in daily and weekly newspapers and trade magazines but don’t mention the client’s name (not least to prevent applicants from approaching the company directly, thus depriving the agency of its fee).

Many of the standard European and international employment agencies, such as Adia, Manpower, PA Consulting Group and Michael Page, have offices in Luxembourg City. Locally owned and operated agencies often post clerical and administrative jobs in their shop windows. Most legitimate recruitment services charge the employer a fee based on the annual salary paid to the successful candidate. Fees can run to as much as 40 or 50 per cent of a year’s salary, which the headhunter may have to refund if you don’t survive the initial probationary period (anything from one to six months). Be extremely wary of recruiters who demand a fee up front from the job applicant or expect you to reimburse them for postage, telephone costs or other charges incurred during the course of the job hunt.

Working for an international organisation

Luxembourg offers some unique opportunities for employment in what is sometimes called the ‘international civil service’ sector.

Luxembourg is home to a number of other international and multinational organisations and agencies. Working for these government and quasi-government agencies often entitles you to a sort of semi-diplomatic status, a variety of tax and social benefits and often a ‘comfortable’ salary.

Foremost among these opportunities is the European Union, the EU and its various agencies, directorates, organisations and support functions employ more around 2,000 people in Luxembourg. Only EU nationals can apply, and for most jobs you’re expected to have fluency in at least one or two languages other than your mother tongue. If you speak one of the more ‘unusual’ languages of the EU (e.g. Finnish, Greek or Danish), your chance of being hired will greatly improve and you may find yourself eligible for special training programmes as well.

A few departments and agencies within the EU are gearing up for the addition of new member states, and a working knowledge of Polish, Hungarian or Czech could also come in handy. The EU agencies try to maintain a balance among employees from the various member countries, and British nationals are traditionally underrepresented in many job categories; this is one place where British nationality can be a distinct advantage in looking for a job! The EU website (http://europa.eu.int) includes links to many of the agencies and other departments within the EU, an increasing number of which are posting job vacancies on their websites.

There are also a number of non-government organisations (NGOs) located in various cities throughout Luxembourg, some of which enjoy some or all of the advantages of the so-called International Civil Service. Jobs for these and other international agencies are regularly posted in international publications such as The Economist or the Guardian Weekly, as well as on the organisations’ websites.

Casual work and Trainees

Temporary and casual work includes the following:

* Office work – well paid if you’re qualified, this is generally the easiest work to find on account of the large number of temporary secretarial and office staff agencies.

* Work in the building trade – this can be found by applying directly at building sites and through industrial recruitment agencies such as Manpower.
* Jobs in shops and stores over Christmas and during sale periods.

* Gardening jobs in private gardens, public parks and garden centres, particularly in spring and summer.

* Peddling ice cream, cold drinks and fast food, e.g. in tourist areas or at trade shows and fairs.

* Work as a security guard (long hours for low pay).

* Nursing and auxiliary nursing in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes (temps are often employed through nursing agencies to replace permanent staff at short notice).

* Newspaper, magazine and leaflet distribution.

* Courier work (own transport required – motorcycle, car or van).

* Driving jobs, including coach and truck drivers, and ferrying cars for manufacturers and car hire companies.

* Miscellaneous jobs such as office cleaners, babysitters and labourers – these can be obtained through a number of agencies specialising in temporary work.

You can find temporary agencies, such as Adia, Adecco and Manpower, in most larger cities. Be particularly careful about jobs that may require permits or other forms of qualification.

Trainees and Work Experience

AIESEC is a student-run, non-profit organisation which offers paid internships in business and technical fields in around 90 countries and territories, including Luxembourg. You can contact the AIESEC chapter at your university for details of qualifications and application procedures.

Transitions Abroad magazine is a good resource for information on all kinds of educational and exchange programmes. The online version (www.transitionsabroad.com) includes country-by-country listings of programmes for study, work, internships, volunteering, language study, etc. – all in searchable form.

The European Union and EURES have a number of programmes for young people interested in training and work experience abroad. Contact your country’s national employment services agency or the national trade association for the industry in which you wish to train, who may be able to put you in contact with a suitable employer in Luxembourg.

Salary and working conditions

Luxembourg has long been a prosperous region in Europe, and salaries are generally above average, although not as high as those in Germany and France.

Luxembourg has a minimum wage and permits a lower starting salary for workers under 23 or 18 years of age. Annual salary increases are often controlled by an industry collective agreement and pegged to local cost of living increases. In Luxembourg, your salary may depend on your age and, while salary levels rarely appear in job advertisements, the desired age range will give you an idea of what an employer is willing to pay.

Taxes in Luxembourg are higher than what you may be used to in your home country, particularly if you’re coming from the UK or the US, so remember to take this into account when considering your salary. Although Luxembourg has a reputation as something of a tax haven, this is largely based on indirect taxes rather than income tax.

If you have friends or acquaintances living in Luxembourg or who have lived there, ask them what an average or good salary is for your trade or profession. For many employees, particularly executives and senior managers, their remuneration is much more than the money they receive in their monthly pay packets. Some companies provide benefits such as a company car, private school fees, interest-free home or other loans, and membership of local clubs or sporting organisations. These additional benefits are usually taxable, however, and this should be taken into account when calculating your net take-home pay or comparing competing job offers.

13th Month’s Salary & Bonuses

Many employers pay a 13th month ‘bonus’ to their employees; a few even add a half of a 14th month’s pay to that, usually payable at the end of the year. This year-end or Christmas bonus (prime de fin d’année/jaarpremie) should be incorporated into your contract if you’ve been quoted an annual salary. In your first and last year of employment, the 13th month bonus (and any holiday bonus related to vacation time) is paid pro rata if you don’t work a full calendar year. Some employers offer a variable profit sharing or productivity bonus (participation aux benefices/aandeel in de winst or prime de productivité/produktiviteitspremie), depending on the performance of the company, branch or department.

Some employers operate a separate profit-sharing or performance-related bonus system, whereby they pay an annual sum (usually at the end of the year or the end of the fiscal year if the company doesn’t operate on a calendar year system). The amount of the bonus depends on the company’s overall performance, the attainment of specific goals during the year, and may be calculated as a percentage of each employee’s annual or monthly salary over the period. Your eligibility for this type of bonus may or may not be part of your employment contract. (It certainly makes a nice surprise at the end of the year if you get one!)

Working Hours & Overtime

Working hours in Luxembourg vary according to your employer, your position, the industry in which you’re employed and the regional or industry collective agreements that apply to your employer. The standard working week (i.e. the hours you’re expected to work on a regular basis) can be no longer than 40 hours. After that, workers must be paid overtime, at rates that vary according to the requirements and conditions of the extra hours worked. Of course, none of these restrictions applies to you if you’re a top executive (direction/directie) or manager (cadres/kaderleden) or if you own your own company (in which case, you love your work so much that you don’t even notice the hours ticking by).

The working week in Luxembourg is legally limited to 40 hours, with the payment of premiums for all overtime or work at ‘unusual hours’. There’s a legal maximum working day of ten hours, after which all work must be paid at overtime rates. Overtime must be approved in advance by the Ministry of Employment. The government of Luxembourg has granted permission for Sunday work to a few industries that operate continuous processing lines, as well as to a few of the tourist industries. Sunday work, however, must be entirely voluntary and is always paid at double the normal salary rates.

Flexi-Time

In Luxembourg, some companies operate flexi-time working hours. A flexi-time system requires all employees to be present between certain hours, known as the block time, for example, from 8.30 to 11.30am and from 1.30 to 4pm. Employees may make up their required working hours by starting earlier than the required block time, reducing their lunch break or working later. Most business premises are open from around 7am until 6 or 7pm. Smaller companies may allow employees to work as late as they wish, provided they don’t exceed the maximum permitted daily working hours (see above). Because flexi-time rules are often quite complicated, they may be contained in a separate set of regulations.

What employment contracts entail

In Luxembourg, an employment contract exists as soon as you undertake a job for which you expect to be paid, although employees nearly always have a written employment contract to document the existence of a formal work relationship.

Especially as a foreigner, you should ask for a written contract if one is not automatically offered to you. You may be required to submit a copy of your employment contract to local officials when applying for your residence permit, especially if you’re in a ‘protected’ category, such as an au pair.

There are three different kinds of employment contracts and it’s important that you understand which applies to you. A limited time contract is one that ends after a set period of time, such as six months or a year; contracts for specific work end when the work you’ve been hired to do is completed; indeterminate contracts are those for ‘permanent’ jobs, which can only be terminated according to the terms of the contract regarding notice periods and severance pay. In most cases, if you don’t have a written contract by the first day you start a job, you’re assumed to be a permanent employee and subject to the privileges and obligations of all other permanent employees, depending upon the level of the job and the salary you’re being paid. Limited term contracts are often subject to restrictions, particularly concerning how often and under what circumstances they can be renewed or when the job must be converted to a permanent (i.e. indeterminate contract) position.

All employment contracts are subject to the national labour laws, and references may be made to other regulations such as collective agreements. Anything in contracts contrary to statutory provisions and unfavourable to an employee may be challenged in a labour court, but in principle you’re allowed to strike an agreement with your employer that waives some or all of your rights under the law or collective agreement. As with all contracts, you should know exactly what an employment contract contains before signing it. The legally binding version of an employment contract is normally the one written in one of the local languages (e.g. French), but you can and should ask for at least an informal translation into your own language if you’re unsure of any of the terms or provisions.

munawar Ali


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