Average salary and minimum wage in Luxembourg

When considering finding a job abroad, you’ll want to weigh a country’s average salaries with its cost of living to make sure you can live comfortably. With the highest minimum wage in Europe, Luxembourg is an attractive option for working abroad.

The country has strict labor laws that ensure wage equality and there is virtually no gender pay gap. However, a worker’s age and experience alter their minimum wage in Luxembourg so it’s important to know what to expect in your case.

Keep reading for more about the following:

Minimum wage in Luxembourg

Luxembourg currently has the highest monthly minimum wage in the European Union at €2,570.93 as of January 2024. The minimum hourly pay in Luxembourg is €14.86 for unskilled workers age 18 and up.

Legally, the Luxembourgish government must review minimum wage rates every two years in consideration of changes in the economy, inflation, and income. The minimum wage is subject to adjustments due to the cost of living – based on the consumer price index – and economic development.

Between January 2014 and January 2024, the minimum wage in Luxembourg increased by nearly €600. This means an average annual growth rate of about 3%.

There are four tiers for social minimum wage in Luxembourg, depending on the employee’s age and qualifications. These wages are set according to a standard 40-hour work week.

Luxembourg’s minimum wage as of 1 January 2024:

By law in Luxembourg, basic salaries also cover several additional benefits. For example, employees are entitled to a minimum of 26 days of annual leave, 8 weeks of prenatal leave plus 12 weeks of postnatal leave for mothers, and 10 days of paternity leave for fathers.

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Labor law in Luxembourg

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Employees may also receive special leave for personal reasons, such as marriage (three days), moving (two days), or the death of a spouse (three days).

Occasional sick days are also part of the basic salary, though there are different policies for extended absences.

Variations in Luxembourgish minimum wage

The main variation in Luxembourg’s minimum wage comes from an employee’s age and experience. The base minimum wage increases by 20% for a skilled worker and decreases 20–25% for an adolescent worker. Adolescent workers cannot be considered skilled.

In addition to these variations, Luxembourgish law allows some industries to set their own minimum salaries through collective agreements. However, these should not be lower than the national minimum wage.

Skilled workers in Luxembourg

To qualify for the higher-skilled worker minimum wage (+20%), you must meet a specific requirement that signifies you are a skilled professional in your field.

One of the following is required for the skilled worker minimum wage:

• An official vocational certification or diploma (certificat d’aptitude technique et professionnelle or diplôme d’aptitude professionnelle)
• A manual skills or vocational capacity certificate (certificat de capacité manuelle or certificat de capacité professionnelle) and at least 2 years’ experience in the position
• A basic vocational and technical certificate (certificat d’initiation technique et professionnelle) and at least 5 years of practical experience
• If they have no official certificates, at least 10 years of vocational experience
• If the vocation does not have official qualifications, at least 6 years of practical experience

Young people working in Luxembourg

Workers under age 18 qualify for a lower minimum wage than their adult counterparts working the same job in Luxembourg.

Minimum wage for workers ages 15 and 16 is 75% of the standard minimum wage, and 80% for workers age 17. Then, at age 18, workers can expect to receive the full 100% social minimum wage in Luxembourg.

Refer to the table above for the current minimum wage rates for employees under 18.

Temporary or part-time workers in Luxembourg

According to Luxembourg labor law, employers must guarantee equal pay for workers on fixed-term or temporary contracts and permanent employees. This means that temporary workers cannot be paid less than their colleagues in the same position with permanent contracts.

The same goes for part-time and full-time employees. Workers with shorter work weeks or fewer hours are entitled to the same hourly pay as those who work full-time.

Luxembourgish internships and apprenticeships

Whether interns in Luxembourg receive the national minimum wage depends on the type of internship and its duration. Here are the basic wage rules for internships and apprenticeships:

• Compensation is not necessary for internships of less than 4 weeks
• Internships longer than 4 weeks pay 30% of the unskilled minimum wage
• Practical training programs of 4–12 weeks receive 40% of the unskilled minimum wage; those of 12–26 weeks receive 75% of the unskilled minimum wage
• Practical training program interns who hold at least a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent education) qualify for the skilled minimum wage

These rules and minimum wage rates apply to both full-time and part-time internships.

Interns undergoing a compulsory program, such as those required by a university program, might not need to be compensated. For example, if the university does not allow payment and compliance is a condition of the internship, payment is not required.

Average salary in Luxembourg

According to Eurostat, Luxembourg had the highest average annual full-time salary among reporting EU countries in 2022 at €75,409.

Most people working in Luxembourg can expect to earn somewhere between €2,650 and €8,164/month, depending on in which industry they work.

Here are some of the average gross monthly salaries by sector and position:

Salary checker in Luxembourg

If you’ve been looking for a job in Luxembourg and finally received an offer, check and see if their proposed salary falls within industry standard rates with these salary checkers:

• Glassdoor
• Payscale
• Salary Expert

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Finding jobs in Luxembourg

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Gender pay equality in Luxembourg

According to Luxembourg labor law, employers must provide equal pay for men and women doing the same work or work of equal value.

In addition to having one of the world’s highest minimum wages, Luxembourg has by far the lowest gender pay gap in Europe. In fact, women make 0.7% more than men for the same job, meaning that Luxembourg’s gender pay gap is a remarkable -0.7%.

By contrast, other high-earning European countries still have significant gender pay gaps. Working women earn almost 18% less than their male counterparts in Switzerland, 14% less in Denmark, and 13% less in the Netherlands.

Salaries and wages for international workers in Luxembourg

Internationals make up 75% of Luxembourg’s workforce, with Germans, Belgians, French, and Portuguese being the most common nationalities. This includes cross-border workers, who commute to Luxembourg from neighboring Belgium, France, and Germany.

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Becoming a cross-border worker in Luxembourg

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According to 2024 data from the Chamber of Employees (Chambre des Salarié – CSL), foreign workers are much more likely to work minimum wage jobs in Luxembourg than Luxembourgish workers. This ranges from a slight gap between Luxembourgish employees and German, French, or Belgian employees to a major discrepancy with workers from Portugal and other countries.

What to do if you’re being paid unfairly

If you are not receiving the national minimum wage for your work, you can report it to the Labor and Mines Inspectorate. Likewise, if you feel you are being paid unequally for your position based on any criteria other than your knowledge, experience, or responsibilities, you can report this to the Labor and Mines Inspection for review.

Luxembourg’s Inspectorate of Labour and Mines (Inspection du travail et des mines) oversees compliance with minimum wage and equal pay.

Should an employer enforce discriminatory or unfair wage policies, Luxembourgish Labour Code stipulates a penalty. This is a fine of €251–25,000, with additional penalties for multiple offenses.

Useful resources

• Chamber of Employees – Luxembourgish agency that supports people working in the country
• Men.lu – information on vocational skill training
• Inspectorate of Labour and Mines – information on Luxembourg labor law enforcement