The National Employment Agency (ADEM) and the Luxembourg Employers' Association (UEL) celebrated ten years of partnership in employment policy at the Chamber of Commerce, highlighting progress in matching companies with jobseekers, while government and business leaders warned of persistent labour shortages and a widening gap between vacancies and jobseekers.

When the collaboration began, the priority was to make companies aware that working with ADEM could be useful, recalled director Isabelle Schlesser. She explained that employers had to understand ADEM was more than just a form-filling obligation: behind it stood a team ready to listen, able to grasp business needs, and identify the right candidates. That was the first objective, she noted, and since then the partnership has been renewed every three to four years and expanded to cover a range of topics.

That first goal has been achieved, according to UEL president Michel Reckinger. He observed that companies and jobseekers often do not know each other, which is why ADEM's role in matching candidates with firms is crucial. He praised ADEM for already providing this service today and stressed that it needs to strengthen this function even further in the future.

In the words of Minister of Labour Georges Mischo, the partnership is especially important in a fragile economic climate, since the labour market is evolving rapidly and faces difficulties. He pointed out that Luxembourg currently has around 18,000 registered jobseekers but only 7,000 open positions, far fewer than in 2022 when the numbers were roughly equal. This widening gap, he warned, is a major concern.

Some sectors nevertheless face severe staff shortages, such as healthcare. Karine Rollot, HR director of the Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, explained how difficult recruitment can be. Young professionals, she noted, are reluctant to spend up to four hours commuting between Luxembourg and Metz, and combined with the need for proper qualifications and the importance of quality of life, this makes the hiring process highly complex.

The Hôpitaux Robert Schuman were among the first ten companies to sign a bilateral agreement with ADEM under the current programme. They were also awarded the new "Entreprise, partenaire pour l’emploi" label, recognising their commitment to professional integration and social responsibility.