Labour market figures presented in a new form

Download article in original language : LU9803150NFR.DOC

In February 1998, Luxembourg's tripartite "Conjuncture Committee" decided that it will in future publish labour market figures in a more transparent form in a new monthly bulletin.

The "Conjuncture Committee" (Comité de Conjoncture) is a tripartite body that carries out monthly analyses of the situation on the Luxembourg labour market, and is also responsible for giving an opinion when a company applies for a temporary state subsidy to compensate for short-time working in the event of a decline in business due to falling orders.

As a result of widespread pressure from all tripartite bodies, the Committee decided at its 26 February 1998 meeting to start publishing a monthly bulletin containing clearer information on job-seekers, situations vacant, and placements by the Employment Administration (Administration de l'Emploi, ADEM). The aim is not to try and "massage" labour market figures with the help of "smart" statistics, but rather to provide a clear, reliable picture.

The new figures include the following facts for 1997:

• employment climbed by 3.2% from 221,800 to 229,300;

• unemployment remained unchanged at 3.7%;

• the number of employees resident in Luxembourg grew from 168,430 to 171,447 (up 1.6%);

• the number of cross-border workers rose from 61,744 to 66,167 (up 7.2%); and

• out of the 6,505 registered unemployed workers, of whom 3,009 were insured, it was possible to get 1,550 back to work within a month, while 1,051 were deemed to be long-term unemployed.