On Friday 10 July 2026, Luxembourg's employment agency (ADEM) published a new edition of its "Zoom Emploi" series of thematic labour market studies, focusing on the growing role of third-country nationals in Luxembourg's workforce and the challenges they continue to face in accessing employment.
According to ADEM, Luxembourg's working-age population increased by 12.5% between 2018 and 2025, one of the highest growth rates in the EU-27. During the same period, the share of third-country nationals rose from 9.4% to 13.1%, representing an increase of almost 22,000 people.
ADEM noted that this trend reflects Luxembourg's attractiveness amid growing demand for skilled workers, with the professional integration of third-country nationals becoming an increasingly important issue for the national economy.
The presence of third-country nationals has also increased steadily among resident employees. As of 30 September 2025, they accounted for 12.2% of all resident employees, almost five percentage points more than in 2018. Their number increased by 31,605 during the period, with almost 60% aged between 30 and 44, and an increasing number employed in highly qualified occupations.
At the same time, the number of third-country national jobseekers registered with ADEM increased by 52% between 2018 and 2025. By the end of 2025, almost one in four registered jobseekers was a third-country national.
These jobseekers have diverse backgrounds. Some arrived in Luxembourg for employment, studies or family reunification, while others left their home countries due to forced circumstances. The analysis also highlighted differences linked to administrative status, with beneficiaries of international protection, temporary protection and other residence permits showing different characteristics in terms of gender, age, language skills and qualifications.
More than 40% of third-country national jobseekers hold a higher education degree, compared with 29.4% of all jobseekers registered with ADEM. However, 80.9% obtained their highest qualification outside the EU-27, which can make the recognition and transferability of qualifications more difficult.
An analysis covering the fields of IT and law, architecture and engineering, and medical and healthcare professions identified significant differences between jobseekers' academic specialisations and the occupations they were seeking. The report highlighted that, while third-country nationals represent a highly qualified talent pool, their labour market integration may be hindered by factors including language skills, differences in regulatory frameworks and mobility constraints.
To address these challenges, ADEM continues to provide personalised support for jobseekers, vocational training to improve employability and employment measures aimed at helping people gain professional experience. The agency added that it is also developing new tools to improve the matching of available skills with employers' recruitment needs.
According to ADEM, without a clear identification of the talent already present in Luxembourg, valuable skills could remain underused despite labour shortages across many occupations and sectors. The agency concluded that third-country nationals represent not only a group requiring support but also an essential resource for Luxembourg's labour market.
The full report (in French) is available on ADEM's website.
