In Luxembourg, one in five students works

Luxembourg shows a unique picture of young people's interaction with the labour market and the education system. In 2023, 19.7% of young people in the 15-29 age group worked during their studies, an increase of 1.1 percentage points compared to a year earlier (18.6%). If 4.8% of young people in search of work are added to this number, it turns out that almost a quarter (24.5%) of young people in Luxembourg were active in the labour market.

This dynamic correlates with the general trend in the EU, where 25.7% of young people combined study with work, up from 25.1% in 2022. However, Luxembourg remains below the European average for student participation in work, partly due to the specificities of the national education system and the small size of the labour market.

Against the background of the Luxembourg data, the Netherlands stands out in particular, where 74.5% of young people combined study and work, the highest rate in Europe. In Denmark, more than half of young people (52.6%) were also engaged in such dual activity. Germany follows with 45.4%, highlighting the successful integration of educational programmes with vocational training.

At the same time, countries such as Belgium (15.6%), Portugal (11.7%) and Italy (7.6%) show much lower levels of young people's engagement in work during their studies. France, with 24.1%, is close to the European average.

Luxembourg's structural characteristics reflect both its economic stability and the difficulty of integrating young people into the labour market. Despite its small population, the country actively supports young people through internships, paid internships and other forms of study-work interaction. However, limited employment opportunities, especially in certain sectors, may explain the lower levels of student engagement in work compared to the Netherlands or Germany.

Comparisons with neighbouring countries show that Luxembourg, like Germany, has traditionally low levels of youth unemployment. However, the gap between students working and looking for work and those who remain outside the labour market underlines the importance of further developing policies to support young people in the transition period between education and career.

Luxembourg is gradually strengthening its position, moving closer to European standards of student labour market engagement, which demonstrates not only an increase in indicators but also stability in the integration of young people into economic activity.