The unemployment rate, calculated by national statistics bureau Statec, sat at 4.8%, taking into account seasonal variations. The number of jobseekers registered at Adem as of 31 August was 1,970 less than at the same time in 2021 which represents a 12.2% year-on-year decrease. A total of 14,259 jobseekers were which states in its most recent press release that the situation is stabilising.
Long-term jobseekers faring better
Jobseekers who have been registered for over six months were fewer in August 2022 compared to a year ago, with Adem registering a 26.7% decrease for those who have been logged with the agency for between 7 and 11 months. The number of those registered for 12 months and longer decreased by 20.7%.
New inscriptions at Adem were also on the rise with 2,354 residents registering at the job agency in August 2022, an increase of 277 registrations compared to August 2021. These most recent number include the enrolment of 126 Ukrainian refugees. In August 2022 employers declared 4,038 vacant posts via Adem which represents a year-on-year increase of 7.8%. The number of available positions currently sits at 13,473.
More than one dimension to refugee jobseekers
In July, 910 Ukrainian refugees were registered at Adem in total but fewer than 1 in 10 had been successful in their search for employment at that time. Speaking to Radio 100,7 on 10 August, head of employer services Laurent Peusch confirmed that 7% of Ukrainians who were looking for a job--half of whom are between 30 and 44 years old and 70% of whom are women--have found one. The language barrier is one of major issues for Ukrainian refugees, whose communication is limited to Ukrainian or Russian and sometimes English.
“A refugee is not always a liability [for the government]. It can be also an asset
Nicolas Zharov, president of Ukrainian association LUkraine underlined during a press conference in August that the numbers don’t tell the whole story. While many Ukrainian refugees are struggling to find a job, there is a considerable number of others, highly skilled ones, who have been able to find a job without registering at Adem.
A project launched in September by LUkraine with the co-operation of the House of Training is providing 10 . That includes personal coaching as well as training sessions on 10 Ukrainian accountants with Luxembourg specific training. “A refugee is not always a liability [for the government]. It can be also an asset,” Zharov told Delano.