Grape harvest 2022; Credit: Jazmin Campbell / Chronicle.lu

On Thursday 18 July 2024, Luxembourg's employment agency, ADEM, and the Wine Institute (Institut viti-vinicole - IVV) announced that they organised a job day in Remich to recruit additional seasonal workers for work in the vineyards and for the 2024 grape harvest; the large number of candidates posed some organisational challenges.

Unlike in previous years, this job day was open to both job seekers pre-selected by ADEM, and to any interested person, even those not registered with ADEM. The National Reception Office (Office national de l'accueil - ONA) distributed information about this joy day to applicants for international protection accommodated in nearby shelters.

The organisers were surprised by the “huge number” of people interested in a seasonal position, which unfortunately led to queues and made it impossible to let all interested candidates into the room. ADEM apologised to those affected and noted that an adapted organisation will be put in place next year to take into account the strong interest in these jobs.