The EU-wide study, published on Tuesday, put Luxembourg in joint third place with Austria in a ranking of countries whose employers have difficulty recruiting ICT specialists. In 2016, 61% of employers in Luxembourg said they struggled to fill vacant ICT posts, after the Czech Republic (66%) and Slovenia (63%).

The problem appears to be becoming more acute since in 2014 58% of employers in Luxembourg cited difficulties in filling ICT posts and in 2012 the proportion was 53% (source Cedefop).

4.1% of Luxembourg's workforce

Last year ICT roles represented 4.1% of the workforce in Luxembourg, equivalent to around 10,800 employees. While this proportion is relatively low compared to countries like Finland (6.6%), Sweden (6.3%) and Estonia (5.3%), it was above the EU average where ICT specialists occupied 3.7% of jobs, equivalent to 8.2 million people.

Luxembourg’s government recently launched the Digital Luxembourg strategy, to reinforce the position of the country in the ICT sector by attracting foreign-qualified workers. Luxembourg has lowered the salary threshold in certain professions in the ICT sector so that more people can obtain the “EU Blue Card”. The country also places an increasing emphasis on digital training and education, through initiatives such as Fit4Coding and Maker Spaces.