Published on 07/08/2026 · Sources last reviewed: 07/08/2026 · Our method

Looking for a job in Luxembourg

The “hidden market” reflex — searching outside official channels because they come too late — does not apply here. In Luxembourg it makes you look in the wrong place.

The structural fact. “Employers wishing to hire staff must declare the vacancy to ADEM”, and “the declaration must be made before the offer is published”. The obligation is general — it does not target only shortage occupations, unlike Switzerland. The official channel therefore sees the posts before private channels do.

What we do not deduce from it, and must say: that a vacancy is declared does not prove it is published on the JobBoard, and we do not measure how far employers comply with the obligation.

Registering with ADEM: the criterion is not residence

Registration is open to “any person meeting the conditions to carry out a professional activity in Luxembourg and available for work”. A cross-border worker therefore qualifies as soon as they have the right to work there. The JobBoard is open only to registered job seekers.

The obligation that surprises cross-border workers

The registered job seeker must attend in person, at ADEM's offices in Luxembourg, at regular intervals set by their adviser. For someone living in Metz, Arlon or Trier, that is not a formality: it is a recurring trip, to be factored in before registering. Failure exposes you to sanctions “up to the loss of benefits”.

If you lose your job: Luxembourg is not the one paying

“Your possible unemployment benefits will be paid by the competent body of your country of residence and not by ADEM” — and that holds even if you are additionally registered with ADEM.

The four steps, in order:

your last Luxembourg employer completes the end-of-contract work certificate;
you file it with ADEM's AFE department;
ADEM completes and sends form U1 to the institution in your country;
you contact the unemployment agency in your country of residence.

Registering with ADEM remains useful — for the services and JobBoard access, not for the money. Two symmetrical mistakes to avoid: counting on Luxembourg benefits that will not come, and neglecting a registration that opens the official channel.

An employer Switzerland does not have

The European institutions employ “more than 40,000 people from the 27 member states”. The main channel is EPSO — open competitions for permanent posts, but also temporary agents, contract agents and trainees. Internships last five months, two sessions a year, with applications due end of August for October and in January for March.

We do not publish the list of institutions based in Luxembourg nor those recruiting outside EPSO: secondary sources assert it, the Commission's page does not say so.

Which language should you apply in? What the law actually says

The law of 24 February 1984 distinguishes three roles, and confusing them is the most common mistake:

Language	Role
Luxembourgish	national language; administrative and judicial
French	language of legislation; administrative and judicial
German	administrative and judicial

French is the language of LEGISLATION, not the national language. The administration also accepts German and Luxembourgish — but not English, even though the private sector works in it extensively. And article 4 goes beyond mere admissibility: the administration must use, “as far as possible, for its reply the language chosen by the applicant”. Choosing your language is a right.

The language of your contract: none is imposed

Article L.121-4 of the Labour Code requires the contract to be drawn up in a language understood by the employee. The law imposes no language — not even French. A contract in English is perfectly valid.

And the point that protects you: in a dispute, it is up to the employer to prove that you understood the language used. Since the 2024 reform, every contract must also be in writing and given to both parties.

What we will not advise you on

Others do. We abstain for lack of an official Luxembourg source — plausible but unverifiable advice would be worse than none.

CV layout: length, photo, sections.
The language to apply in: it depends on the employer, not on the law. We give the legal regime, not a market rule.
Interview customs: observed by some, published by no one.

Sources: ADEM — who can register, and rights and obligations (21.10.2025), employed cross-border workers (⚠ 23.03.2022); Guichet.lu — declaration of a vacancy (15.04.2024); European Commission, representation in Luxembourg; law of 24 February 1984 on the language regime; Labour Code, article L.121-4. Consulted 07.08.2026.