On Monday, Statec’s newly appointed director, Tom Haas, joined RTL Radio's morning guest programme to discuss Luxembourg’s economic outlook. Haas confirmed that no new index will be issued until 2025.

"The next index will only be released next year," Haas stated on RTL. "The latest inflation figures, due on Wednesday, will likely confirm predictions made a month ago." While he avoided detailed forecasting, he added, "A second index tranche is not expected in the next 12 months if inflation remains around 2%."

Haas highlighted that despite economic challenges, purchasing power in Luxembourg has grown steadily, thanks in part to the index, which offsets loss of purchasing power. However, he cautioned that economic growth might decelerate due to slowdowns in Luxembourg’s key trading partners, citing France’s cost-cutting measures and Germany’s recession.

He also mentioned potential impacts from economic conditions in China and the United States, particularly if Donald Trump’s proposed import taxes take effect, creating further economic uncertainty.

RTL

© François Aulner

Leading Statec: New challenges and strategic vision

Haas also reflected on his new role, succeeding Serge Allegrezza, who recently retired. He noted Statec’s recent growth and stability, with over 200 employees now working at the Belval site. "Statec has developed well in recent years," he said, "but there are many challenges, as the number of statistics grows faster than our staff." To address this, Statec is increasingly adopting new tools and methodologies like big data and artificial intelligence.

Currently, Statec is creating a strategic work programme for the next three years, with all employees contributing to define its vision. While Haas did not disclose specific details, he emphasised Statec’s commitment to "anticipating problems" and covering “all dimensions – not only the economic aspect, but also social, environmental, and energy dimensions.”

By law, Statec is responsible for economic, social, and demographic analyses, along with environmental and political analysis since 2011.

When asked about data resources, Haas noted, “We have a lot of data. Do we have everything we need? Probably not.”

He is optimistic about leveraging the "once only" principle, which aims to streamline data sharing by collecting personal data only once for administrative purposes. This approach, which has been successfully implemented in Scandinavian countries, could provide Statec with greater access to valuable administrative data.