To that end, researchers analysed job offerings in newspaper Wort in five year intervals, starting in 1984. Results confirm that French has remained the dominant language throughout the years.
76.3% of analysed ads required French, followed by 68.2% for German, and 67.3% for Luxembourgish. Researchers also found that employers often demand a combination of the three languages, and that English has become more important over the years.
Read also: Which languages dominate the Luxembourgish job market?Demand for Luxembourgish has also significantly increased in recent years, although researchers do not have a clear explanation for the phenomenon. It is however noteworthy in that regard that listings in 1984 did not explicitly mention Luxembourgish, since that was considered a given at the time. Today, employees who speak the language have a clear advantage.
Naturally, the study also has its limitations. Only certain sectors tend to advertise job listings in newspapers. While social workers or civil servants often find employment through such ads, this does not apply to people in the construction industry. Similarly, French newspapers, such as L’Essentiel, also have different target groups in comparison to Wort.
Furthermore, with more and more listings moving to online platforms, researchers at the university decided to make this the final year of newspaper analysis.
