Unemployment rate rises to 6.5%, despite sustained momentum in terms of declared vacancies

As of 31 August 2026, ADEM counts 20,136 available registered resident jobseekers, i.e. 2,071 people more than at the end of August 2025 (+11.5% year-on-year).

This increase remains particularly marked among the most highly qualified jobseekers (+19.0%), who account for one third of the people concerned. In terms of age groups, the most pronounced increase concerns those aged 30-44 (+13.9% year-on-year), closely followed by those aged 16-29 (+13.5% year-on-year). The increase among those aged 45-64 stands at 8.4% over 12 months.

With regard to the occupations sought, certain increases are confirmed: this is the case for secretarial and assistance occupations (category M16 of the ROME reference framework), those in IT (M18), those in accounting and management (M12), as well as those in organization and studies (M14); this is also the case for occupations in cleaning and industrial cleaning (K22), those in banking (C12) as well as in law (K19). Occupations in culinary production (G16) and assistance with daily living (K13) are also experiencing notable increases.

The unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted and calculated by STATEC, stands at 6.5%.

In August, ADEM recorded 2,548 new registrations of resident jobseekers, representing an increase of 3.5% compared with August 2025.

The number of resident jobseekers receiving full unemployment benefit stood at 9,976 1 at the end of the month. Jobseekers in external professional redeployment and receiving the waiting allowance (IA) or the professional waiting allowance (IPA) numbered 1,597.

The number of residents benefiting from an employment measure stands at 4,222, representing an increase of 4.3% compared with August 2025.

As regards non-residents, 870 people registered with ADEM in August 2026 (+28.7% year-on-year). The number of available non-resident jobseekers stands at 4,262. The increase in their number is therefore accelerating (+30.5% year-on-year). Among them, 2,497 have the status of a person in external professional redeployment and are therefore, in this capacity, eligible for financial assistance paid by ADEM under the same conditions as residents. For this latter category, the year-on-year increase is slowing somewhat, to 8.5%. The other non-residents registered with ADEM registered spontaneously, without being able to claim any financial assistance. At the end of August 2026, they numbered 1,765, corresponding to a very sharp year-on-year increase (+82.9%).

1,052 non-resident jobseekers with external professional redeployment status received full unemployment benefits in August; in addition, there were 1,903 recipients of an IA or IPA.

In August 2026, employers declared 2,768 vacancies to ADEM, representing a marked increase of 5.0% year-on-year. The stock of available job vacancies at the end of the month stood at 6,715 positions, equivalent to an increase of 2.7% year-on-year.

The occupations recording the strongest increase since August 2025 are in social, socio-educational and socio-cultural services (category K12 of the ROME reference framework), the paramedical care sector (J15), the food trade and food-related occupations (D11), assistance with daily living (K13), construction and structural works (F17), information and telecommunications systems (M18) and organisation and studies (M14).