While the employment rate of 20 to 64-year-olds in Luxembourg is edging closer to its 2020 target (73%) at 71.5%, it lagged behind when it came to those last nine years of work.

Eurostat found that just four out of ten people (39.8%) aged 55 to 64 were still in work, just slightly above Greece (38.3%). The rate did, however, improve slightly compared to 2016 when it was 39.6%.

Normally, people should be 65 in order to claim a pension, though special conditions apply to civil servants, miners and railway company employees, among others. In Luxembourg, early retirement pensions can be claimed at 60 or 57 under certain circumstances provided individuals have made pension contributions for at least 480 months.

Last year, the EU recorded the highest ever employment rate of 20 to 64-year-olds at 72.2%. Just nine member states achieved their 2020 targets, Eurostat said.