Luxembourg's labor force is well-educated and well-known for its efficiency and high productivity. With a literacy rate of 100% for its population members over the age of 15 and an abundance of multilingual workers, the country's labor pool is an important asset to employers. The highly educated population has been essential to the development of Luxembourg's growing financial services industry. (Source: U.S. Embassy Guide on Luxembourg, www.state.gov/www/about_state/business/com_guides/1999/europe/lumem99.html)
9.1 Literacy Rate Statistics
While the reported literacy rate is 100%, there is a segmentation between native Luxembourgese and those who have emigrated into the country. Some education, particularly primary, is conducted mostly in Letzeburgisch, a local dailect comprised of mixed French and Germany. Many of the children of the foreign workforce, particularly the Portuguese, have great difficulty with this language. It is reported that in two of the country's largest municipalities where more than half of the students are of foreign nationality, as many as 45% of students leave school with no formal qualifications.
(Source: Walden Publishing Country Reports)
9.2 Educational System
Compulsory education applies to children between the ages of 6 and 15, with primary education extending for 6 years. Secondary education begins at age 12 with one year of general education and then a division between vocational and academic studies for the following three years. There is a secondary program for higher technology and in 1995 it had 314 students. In 1995, there were 4,724 university students studying at the country's one university or abroad, primarily in Belgium and France.
(Sources: Walden Publishing Country Reports, Europa World Year Book; UNESCO Statistical Yearbook; and The World Factbook).
9.3 Language Fluencies
Luxembourg's central location affords it many advantages, one of them being the high number of multilingual members of its population. Most of the population speak French and German and a significant number of conversant in Dutch. English is not used often in business, except in the financial services industry.
9.4 Workforce Immigration
The overall demand for labor in Luxembourg
outpaces the available supply and, therefore, about 30% of all jobs in
the country are filled by workers commuting in from neighboring France,
Belgium, and Germany. An additional 20% of the workforce is comprised
of people who have emigrated to Luxembourg from other countries, primarily
Portugal and more recently, Japan. Luxembourg's high standard of
living and central Western European location are important lures for highly-skilled
workers.
| Total Labor Force | 226,500 workers |
| Percentage of Foreign Labor Force | About 30% |
| Primary Countries Represented | Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany |
9.5 Supply and Demand for IT Professionals
Because of the importance of IT skills
in the primary business sectors in which Luxembourg competes and the growth
of e-commerce throughout Europe, there will be a consistently strong demand
for information technology workers. Indeed, a recent
review of Luxembourg websites uncovered many advertisements for open IT
positions. (Sources: www.luxjob.lu and www.jobuniverse.com).
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|
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| Services | 83.2% |
| Industry | 14.3% |
| Agriculture | 2.5% |
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