A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Luxembourg has found that the country's multilingualism could present a significant barrier to the integration of refugees into the labour market.
With the number of asylum applications in the Grand Duchy having doubled within one year, the Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education at the University of Luxembourg embarked on an investigation into the conditions and challenges for recognied refugees to enter the labour market. Despite the fact that individuals with recognised refugee status legally hold the same entitlement to access in Luxembourg's employment market, excluding the public sector, as the country's own citizens, employment demands based on societal and linguistic expectations may prevent this from becoming a reality.
"One of the biggest obstacles to enter the labour market is the language barrier," explained Professor 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'. "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."
The multilingualism that provides more opportunities in other countries for Luxembourg citizens, therefore becomes a hindrance to individuals arriving from other countries that are attempting to assimilate the language proficiencies necessary for full labour integration. In addition, many immigrants are confronted with obstacles regarding recognition of their professional and academic qualifications, which is particularly difficult for refugees coming from war zones which prevented them from bringing these documents along with them.
The study further determined that although migrants in Luxembourg are given plenty of support in the form of counselling, such services are not necessarily tailored to the specific needs of refugees, with a significant lack of measures which would facilitate the integration of recognised refugees into the employment market.
"The different support services are not coordinated between the authorities and the NGOs," continue Professor Nienaber. "The refugees need to apply separately to different institutions."
The study was published as part of the European Migration Network, which continually reports on the situation for migrants from third countries in the 28 EU Member States and Norway.
Photo by © Michel Brumat / Universität Luxemburg (Birte Nienaber)
