Nine companies representing various sections of the industry sought to showcase roles across 40 different professions during the event in Dommeldange, with 1,500 jobseekers in attendance.
Among the positions in high demand were cashiers, shelf attendants, butchers, bakers, lorry drivers, and logistics personnel. The scarcity of skilled personnel predates the pandemic, emphasising the need for a comprehensive solution.
Georges Eischen, President of the Federation of Food and Distribution (FLAD), shed light on the situation, revealing that his company, Provençale, currently has 100 vacant positions out of a total workforce of 1,700 employees.
Eischen underscored a broader societal challenge, highlighting the dwindling birth rate and the struggle to replace retiring workers. He anticipates an acceleration of this issue in the coming years, placing companies under increasing pressure to manage their operations effectively.
The job day represents just one strategy of the industry’s multifaceted approach to addressing the employment crisis. Ongoing training initiatives, some in partnership with ADEM, aim to bridge skill gaps. However, Eischen cautioned that retaining workers in the long term could prove challenging, given the rising issue of absenteeism.
In the quest for potential candidates, companies also found themselves in the position of selling their value proposition. For instance, Marine Cardé, responsible for human resources at Delhaize, highlighted efforts to ensure work-life balance. This includes providing schedules four weeks in advance and adopting a five-day workweek, measures designed to attract and retain employees.
Full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish and French)
