Adem recorded 19,882 job seekers in January 2021. Matic Zorman/archives

Adem recorded 19,882 job seekers in January 2021. Matic Zorman/archives

With 19,882 resident jobseekers on the lists of Luxembourg's employment development agency (Adem), monthly unemployment remained stable at 6.4% for the month of January.

After a sharp increase of 21.6% between February and April 2020, due to the health crisis, the number of resident jobseekers was down until September. Since the start of the school year, the proportion has been on the rise.

In January 2021, 2,700 residents registered with Adem, a decrease of 182 people or 6.3% compared to January 2020. “The increase in unemployment is explained above all by a decrease in unemployed people securing employment rather than an increase in registrations,” analyses Adem in its monthly publication. Note that 2,813 non-residents and jobseekers are on the lists of the Adem, an increase of 14% over a year.

The total number of applicants can be broken down into 10,061 women and 9,821 men. Almost a quarter (4,117) of the job seekers are under 30 years old, 7,740 are between 30 and 44 years old and 8,025 are over 45. It should be noted that this last category is increasing by 15.8% over one year.

Regarding the qualifications of jobseekers, 4,767 have a higher diploma (an increase of 28.6% in one year), 6,194 have an upper secondary diploma (an increase of 26.8% in one year) and 8,921 have only a lower secondary diploma (an increase of 13.2% in one year).

Domestic employment is increasing

It should be noted that 2,792 vacancies were declared to Adem by employers in the country, a decrease of 36.6% over one year. Nevertheless, in January 2020 the global pandemic had not yet really hit. The declared vacancies were at their highest level, with 4,400 declared by employers to Adem, a record. “If we compare the month of January 2021 to the months of November and December 2020, the number of declared jobs is increasing,” Adem points out in its monthly publication.

Finally, domestic employment, i.e., the employment of people working on Luxembourg territory, totalled 477,452, an increase of 1.1% over one year. Domestic employment, i.e., the employment of persons residing in Luxembourg, reached 278,318 jobs, an increase of 0.8% over one year.

This article was originally published in French on Paperjam.lu. It has been translated and edited for Delano.