Work contracts, languages, health and poverty in Luxembourg

More and more Luxembourg workers are opting for part time contracts, weekend or shift work and two thirds of the working population is now able to use four or more languages, with French and English topping the list of language fluency.

This was announced during a Statec press conference on Monday into the statistics office's latest findings for work and social cohesion.

In 2016 unemployment stood at 6.3% and compared with Luxembourgish nationals, five times as many non-EU citizens and almost twice as many foreigners from within the EU living in Luxembourg were out of work.

A total of 4.2% of Luxembourgers were unemployed, 6.9% of EU28 citizens and 20.8% of non-EU foreigners.

Family commitments and work contracts

Last year Luxembourg saw an increase in the number of so-called atypical contracts, such as short-term contracts (CDD), weekend, evening and night shifts. Family reasons are the main factors behind the move to a contract other than a 40-hour standard daytime Monday to Friday pattern.

Statec advisor, Jérôme Hury, said Luxembourgish nationals choose the atypical contract more often than foreigners, with 22.2% of Luxembourgers and 16.5% of foreign nationals going for this option.

But with 11.6% of the population adopting these contracts, Luxembourg still stands below the eurozone average of 30.4%.

Languages, health and poverty

By 2016 two third of the country's working population was able to use four or more languages. French is the language most people are able to speak, with 91% saying they can communicate in French. In second place was English (71%) followed by German (66%), Luxembourgish (61%), Portuguese (21%) and Italian (17%).

Luxembourgers of foreign origin tend to know the most languages with knowledge of an average of 4.9 languages.

The Statec report's findings also prove a near €7,000 difference in the monthly average standard of living between the country's 10% most affluent (€7,891/month) and 10% least wealthy individuals (€984/month).

And while 28% of those who were at risk of falling into poverty in 2013 are no longer in that situation, 30% of people in Luxembourg have experienced poverty at least once between 2013 and 2016. The age bracket which experienced the longest lasting poverty is between 18 and 24.

Poverty also has great impact on health and results showed that those with a higher salary smoke less regularly and do more sport. The report also showed that health improves with a higher salary and higher level of education and obesity is said to decline with higher education level.

(Heledd Pritchard, heledd.pritchard@wort.lu, +352 49 93 459)