Languages at work: French prevails
In the Grand Duchy, Luxembourgish is by far the most common language, ahead of French, German and English. 49% of people say they use it at home or in public spaces. However, in the world of work, it is the French language which dominates and this is the case in the majority of sectors of activity.
Multilingualism is commonplace in Luxembourg. However, the choice of language varies according to the environment. While Luxembourgish is the dominant language at home and in public, French is the principal language at work. Three out of four residents work in a multilingual environment.
French and English - the most commonly used languages
According to the 2021 survey carried out by Statec: "Linguistic diversity on the rise", French is the most important language in the workplace. In the country's municipalities, the percentage of French speakers varies between 43% and 83%. In the capital, this percentage rises to 67%, which points towards a greater mixture of languages in the workplace. In general, the study shows that slightly more than one-third speak French only at school or at work, while slightly less than one-third use it in both environments.
The languages used depend largely on the sector of activity. French is the most widely used language in almost all sectors, but it is followed by English, which has become the second most spoken language in the workplace. It is predominant in the banking, finance and insurance sectors, as well as in international trade and European institutions. This also explains why the highest proportion of English speakers are found in municipalities such as Niederanven (63%) and Sandweiler (59%), and even in Luxembourg's capital (58%), places where major international companies are located.
Useful information
The National Institute for Languages Luxembourg (INLL) is a public centre for the learning and certification of modern language skills for adults. It is committed to promoting multilingualism, a key component to social integration and employability, and offers courses in nine different languages.
Its certifications include the Sprochentest Lëtzebuergesch which allows holders to obtain Luxembourgish nationality.
A different language for each sector
As for Luxembourgish, it also has a role to play in the workplace. It is the most commonly spoken language at home but it is surpassed by French and English in the workplace. It is slightly more widespread throughout the country. However, it is used less around the capital (30% to 56%) and more in the other regions (69% to 95%). Luxembourgish is mainly spoken in public administration and education.
Portuguese is often spoken in the construction and administrative services sectors, as well as in the hotel and building cleaning industries. The Portuguese language is used throughout most of the country, with a strong presence in north-west Gutland and the Minette region in the south-west. However, according to Statec, it surprisingly underrepresented in the capital (8%). Generally speaking, Portuguese is either spoken only at home, or at home and at work, according to the national statistics agency.
German is very present in the sectors of health, public administration, industry and commerce. Nevertheless, almost a quarter speak it only at work or at school, especially in the east of the country.
Multilingualism - the key to success
Luxembourgish, French, German, English, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish are the most common languages used in Luxembourg. Moreover, code switching (the need to switch from one language to another) is part of daily life in the Grand Duchy. This is hardly surprising as foreign residents represent 47% of the population and more than 210,000 cross-border workers come to work in Luxembourg every day. As such, it has become customary to converse in several languages on a daily basis. The professional world is no exception.
In 2019, the last time the "Languages at work" study by the University of Luxembourg was updated, almost half of the job offers in the sample demanded knowledge of the three official languages of the country: Luxembourgish, German and French. In the same year, French remained the language that was most requested in the job offers analysed. The report noted a significant increase in demand for Luxembourgish between 2014 and 2019 rising from 50% to 67% in the job ads surveyed. The demand for English varies greatly from one field of activity to another and is often focused on the international and financial sectors. Increasingly, employers are actively looking for multilingualism in their workforce.
The Statec publication Regards n° 04 – 01/2021, analysing the main determinants of wages in Luxembourg, also notes that skills acquired outside the formal education system, such as language skills or social skills, have an impact on wage levels.
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