The language situation in the Grand Duchy features the practice and recognition of three languages: Luxembourgish, which is the country's national language, as well as French and German, the two other official languages.
Since the working population is mostly made up of foreign residents and French, Belgian and German cross-border commuters , French is the main vernacular language, followed by Luxembourgish, German, English and Portuguese.
In the world of work, depending on the origin or nationality of the company, the working language may be English or Portuguese, in addition to the three languages spoken in Luxembourg's everyday life. However, French and English predominate, especially in the services sector.
French is greatly used in trade, hotels, restaurants and cafés, mainly in the capital and surrounding areas. The north of the country is the exception to the rule as it is the only region where Luxembourgish is more widespread than French.
According to the study Les langues parlées au travail, à l'école et/ou à la maison(The Languages Spoken at Work, at School and/or at Home) - published by STATEC in 2013 - 70.5% of the population uses Luxembourgish at work, at school and/or at home, 55.7% French and 30.6% German. On average, 2.2 languages are used.
According to a 2010 study by the University of Luxembourg, French is the language most asked for in job vacancies advertised in the Grand Duchy. Luxembourgish is an essential requirement in nearly 45% of the vacancies advertised.
English is the lingua franca of the large international community working at the European institutions and of people employed in the banking and industrial sectors. English has become the language for business and finance, and it is very frequently used at meetings among people of different nationalities.
Given the large scale of the immigrant community represented by Portuguese people (95,500 as at 1st January, 2019), they often use their mother tongue in the workplace (especially in the building sector, hotels and the cleaning sector) and as part of their leisure activities (associations, clubs, cafés, etc.).