CurreNT AffAIrS
International recruitment
“ WE NEED TO BE OPEN” As innovation becomes a more important part of Luxembourg’s economy, the government hopes more of the “highly qualified” come to the Grand Duchy. Interview: Natalie A. Gerhardstein
The government wants more skilled workers to move to the Grand Duchy as part of its campaign to promote economic diversification and foreign inward investment. In advance of his December 15 presentation to the American Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg, Nicolas Schmit--the labour, employment and immigration minister--talks about attracting and keeping highly qualified talent. NG: Why is it important to recruit more highly qualified staff to Luxembourg? NS: Our objective is to promote diversification of the economy in various niches. This can also include diversification in financial services, an area in which we have to bring change. We see that some activities are not performing as well due to the overall financial crisis.
November 2011
Luxembourg. Innovation is key though: we need to assist older industries to innovate. Research, innovation and production are all very tightly linked. Overall, we have to create new niches to encourage foreign companies to invest in Luxembourg, and we need to be open to the people these companies bring. At the same time, it is important to encourage our young people to invest in their own knowledge. Not only is it critical for us to promote higher education, but we also need to offer these individuals opportunities to come back to Luxembourg. NG: What are the core challenges in attracting talent? NS: First we have to offer people good working conditions. However, the environment is also very important. Take universities, for example. I remember in the 1980s when the US was just at the
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One way in which innovation can happen is by bringing highly qualified experts from abroad. ICT is certainly another important activity. Luxembourg has many new, smaller companies, and we need to encourage start-ups, particularly with our young talent. We also still have an important audiovisual centre. SES, for example, has attracted people from all over the world to create a truly global company, and it shows how important it is for Luxembourg to continue attracting international talent. Luxembourg has also been performing well in e-commerce and in biotech. Science has to be international. I wouldn’t write off industry, however. Even if industry is now a more modest part of our economy in terms of GDP because it has decreased dramatically, I believe there is still space left for productive, high-performing industries in
The prime minister met with Portugal’s new finance minister.
The 25 annual Student’s Fair, organised by the ministry of education, featured stands from instittions in 17 countries, including Denmark, Japan and the US. The aim is to help high school leavers make informed choices about where to study.
NEW DP CHIEF Claude Meisch renov placed Xavier Bettel as head of the DP’s parliamentary bloc, the 3rd largest in the Chamber of Deputies. Bettel became mayor of Luxembourg City on November 25. Meisch has been an MP since 1999 and party president since 2004.
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02.12.2011 12:13:31 Uhr