Luxembourg has published its official 2026 list of shortage occupations, and the announcement is already drawing attention among Moroccan professionals eyeing a move abroad. Released in the Grand Duchy’s Official Journal, the list covers twenty professions spanning finance, healthcare, information technology, construction, industry and research and development, areas where the domestic labour market can no longer keep pace with demand.
In practical terms, the measure makes it considerably easier for Luxembourg-based employers to hire candidates from outside the European Union once local and European talent pools fall short. The average gross annual salary tied to these roles stands at roughly 83,000 euros, or close to 6,900 euros a month, a figure well above typical earnings in many of the countries candidates are likely to come from, Morocco included.
The headline change in this year’s list is the removal of the labour-market test, the procedure that previously forced employers to prove no suitable local or European candidate existed before turning to recruitment from outside the bloc. Scrapping that step is expected to speed up hiring considerably, for companies and foreign applicants alike.
The roles on the list include credit and financial risk analysts, investment fund managers, software developers, cybersecurity specialists, and lawyers and tax advisers, alongside healthcare positions such as nurses, nursing assistants, social workers and early-childhood educators. Construction and industry are also well represented, with demand flagged for roofers specialising in solar panel installation, industrial research and development engineers, maintenance technicians and auto body repairers.
Luxembourg’s authorities are nonetheless careful to temper expectations. Appearing on the shortage list does not automatically translate into a work contract, a visa or a residence permit. Candidates still need a firm job offer from an approved employer, along with the right qualifications and, for regulated professions such as nursing or law, recognition of foreign diplomas.
Officials are also warning jobseekers to stay alert to fraudulent intermediaries who demand payment in exchange for fictitious Luxembourg contracts. The only legitimate route, they stress, runs through official channels and employment platforms recognised by the Grand Duchy’s authorities.
For Moroccan graduates trained in these in-demand fields, Luxembourg’s more open approach adds another option at a time when competition among European countries to attract skilled foreign talent keeps intensifying.
