ADEM analyses job offers for a better understanding of growing professions and future skills

On Thursday, 20 January 2022, the Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Georges Engel, and the Director of the Luxembourg Employment Agency (ADEM), Isabelle Schlesser, presented seven studies on the jobs and skills in demand on the Luxembourg labour market, which were carried out by ADEM on the basis of job offers declared by companies. These studies are part of the Future Skills Initiative and the Partnership for Employment between ADEM and the Union des Entreprises Luxembourgeoises. Labour market trends, future occupations and skill requirements were analysed for seven different sectors: construction, transport and logistics, crafts, finance, hospitality, trade and industry. The studies were carried out in collaboration with the professional federations and chambers concerned (Chamber of Commerce, Chambre des Métiers, ABBL, ACA, Fédération des Artisans, Horesca, FEDIL, CLC and Cluster for Logistics).

Minister Georges Engel recalled that “the employment market is undergoing a major transformation and is constantly evolving, particularly with the emergence of technological progress, environmental issues and societal changes”. This is creating new jobs, new trends and above all challenges for job seekers who must develop their skills to meet the demands of the job market.

In October 2020, ADEM launched its Future Skills Initiative, which aims to develop the transversal and digital skills of job seekers. The Future Skills training programme, set up during the health crisis, enabled almost 500 jobseekers to undergo three months of training in digital, behavioural and project management skills. A practical ‘internship’ (in the form of a temporary paid job) was also set up.

The second part of the Future Skills Initiative was the analysis of the jobs and skills in demand.

“The studies and sectoral analyses carried out on the basis of the offers declared to ADEM and the descriptions of the jobs that result from them will enable us to target our training offer as well as possible so that it corresponds to the current and future needs of companies”, Isabelle Schlesser recalled. She emphasised ADEM’s role in making the job market more transparent and thus enabling jobseekers to seize new opportunities. The declaration of vacancies by companies to ADEM is an indispensable element in this context.

Inès Baer, who was in charge of preparing the seven studies, presented the main results. “Globally, a trend is emerging in all sectors, that of ever higher skill requirements in all areas. In particular, the importance of cross-cutting skills (behavioural, digital, management, languages, etc.) The skill most in demand in all sectors is the ability to adapt to change. In concrete terms, being flexible and not being impervious to changes and transformations that companies may undergo is an essential asset on the job market.

The conclusions of these seven sectoral studies at a glance:

• the growing sectors are very diversified: some professions are highly qualified and others require fewer qualifications
• the growth of these professions is explained by the growth of certain activities in our society, such as construction, hospitality, mobility or the investment fund industry, or by certain specific trends, such as home delivery or financial regulation
• the trend towards digitalisation is increasing the demand for IT and project management professions, while automation will reduce the demand for certain professions, such as back-office administrative work or manual assembly in industry
• emerging professions are directly linked to new trends (technological, environmental, societal), such as cloud architects, jobs linked to the reuse of raw materials, baristas in coffee shops.
• the professions with the greatest shortage of talent are often highly skilled jobs such as computer scientists and lawyers and jobs in the craft sector such as butchers and electricians
• the professions where there is a surplus of applicants tend to be professions that require fewer qualifications, such as administration, cleaning and sales. This does not mean, however, that employers can easily find candidates in these occupations, as specific skills, such as language skills, can also cause recruitment difficulties.
• there is a strong growth in the demand for cross-cutting skills: personal, digital, management skills and languages.

The completion of the seven sectoral studies is a first step towards a better understanding of the labour market. This analytical work must continue and be strengthened. In his conclusion, the Minister noted in particular the importance of collaboration with the social partners on the subject of skills and continuing training.
The detailed studies are available and can be consulted on the ADEM website: https://adem.lu/etudes-sectorielles