During the ongoing refugee crisis, the number of asylum applications in Luxembourg has more than doubled within one year. Therefore, it is all the more important that refugees are integrated quickly. A recent study carried out by researchers at the Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education at the University of Luxembourg investigates the framework conditions for the integration of recognised refugees into the Luxembourg labour market.

According to the study, they legally have the same access to the employment market as Luxembourg citizens, with the exception of the public sector, as soon as their refugee status is recognised.

The language issue

In practice, however, refugees often have to overcome considerable difficulties. “One of the biggest obstacles to enter the labour market is the language barrier. Most employers in Luxembourg demand that applicants speak at least one of the country's three administrative languages, i.e. Luxembourgish, French or German. Often, employees are even supposed to be trilingual,” explains Prof. Birte Nienaber, coordinator of the Luxembourg National Contact Point for the European Migration Network and of the study on ‘Integration of Beneficiaries of International/Humanitarian Protection into the Labour Market: Policies and Good Practices’.

Services not tailored to refugees’ needs

In addition to language difficulties, many immigrants also face the challenge of getting their professional and academic qualifications recognised in Luxembourg. This is particularly difficult for refugees coming from war zones because they often were not able to carry along these documents.

While migrants to Luxembourg are given plenty of support, such as counselling, these services are usually not tailored to the specific needs of refugees, according to the authors of the study. For example, there are no specific measures for integrating recognised refugees into the employment market. “The different support services are not coordinated between the authorities and the NGOs. The refugees need to apply separately to different institutions,” criticises Prof. Nienaber.

The authors produced the study within the scope of the European Migration Network, which regularly publishes reports on the situation for migrants from third countries in 28 EU member states and Norway.

© Michel Brumat / University of Luxembourg