Luxembourg has published a list of shortage occupations for 2025

Luxembourg has published a list of occupations recognised in 2025 as "très en pénurie", i.e. in a state of acute shortage. The update was based on an analysis of data for 2024. The document is available in the Official Journal and on the website of the national employment agency ADEM. The new version includes 22 occupations, two fewer than last year.

This list is particularly important for employers, as it allows them to take advantage of a simplified procedure for hiring workers from non-EU countries. If a job vacancy is on the list, the authorisation to hire a foreign specialist is issued within five working days. The employer can apply for the so-called "labour force certificate" immediately when registering a vacancy in ADEM or later - as long as the vacancy remains valid.

Among the new occupations added this year are specialists in mechanical maintenance of industrial equipment, aircraft maintenance, and body repair. Also added to the list are management consultants and railway traffic controllers. These changes reflect the growing demand for technical and infrastructure occupations.

At the same time, occupations such as back- and middle-office specialists in the financial sector, roofers, production engineers, equipment installation and maintenance technicians, psychologists, human resource development specialists and information systems experts were excluded from the list. While these occupations remain tight, in 2024, the gap between the number of vacancies and suitable candidates for these occupations was not sufficient to be included in the "very in short supply" category.

The procedure of updating the list takes place annually in the first quarter and is based on three key criteria: the total number of registered vacancies by occupation, the number of applicants registered in ADEM with the same profile, and the number of vacancies for which it was not possible to successfully match candidates. Thus, the list is a tool that helps not only to regulate labour migration, but also to understand in which sectors the country's economy is experiencing the most acute staff hunger.

ADEM also uses this list to plan targeted training and retraining programmes for the unemployed. Employers, in turn, are encouraged to report all open vacancies more accurately and in a timely manner, which will make the adaptation and recruitment system even more efficient.