JLL unveils the new priorities of Luxembourg employees in its "Workforce Preference Barometer 2025
Luxembourg, October 13, 2025 – JLL, a leader in the real estate sector, publishes the exclusive results of its 2025 Workforce Preference Barometer for Luxembourg, revealing a major transformation of professional expectations in the Grand Duchy.
Global insights with local precision for decision-makers
This benchmark study, conducted in June 2025 among 8,709 employees in 31 markets worldwide, including 57 in Luxembourg, perfectly illustrates JLL's philosophy: "Worldwide insight to local precision." This approach allows for contextualizing Luxembourg's specificities in a globalized world where the workplace and our relationship to it have undergone profound transformations accelerated by the pandemic. This study therefore provides local employers with a nuanced understanding of both global and local challenges.
"JLL's 2025 Workforce Preference Barometer provides Luxembourg employers with essential keys to understanding how to adapt their HR and real estate strategies to the new realities of the job market," notes Emna Rekik, Country Lead Luxembourg at JLL.
A historic shift in priorities
The study marks a decisive turning point: for the first time in Luxembourg's job market history, work-life balance (69%) becomes the top priority, dethroning salary (53%). 'Earning a salary that allows me to maintain my lifestyle' remains a priority for both Luxembourg and global employees but moves to second position. This 2-point increase in Luxembourg compared to 2022 confirms an underlying trend also observed globally (65%).
"We are witnessing a silent revolution in mindsets. Luxembourg employees are sending a clear message: money doesn't rule everything anymore. This evolution will force employers to rethink their value proposition, which must translate into their HR strategy and materialize in the workspaces they occupy," analyzes Emna Rekik, Country Lead Luxembourg at JLL.
Mixed results on office presence policies
Although 55% of office employees are subject to structured office presence policies (below the European average of 64% and global average of 66%), acceptance remains mixed in Luxembourg. Sentiments are almost equally divided: 47% express a positive opinion versus 53% negative sentiment.
This division contrasts with European and global averages and reveals a Luxembourg specificity: stronger resistance to rigid policies and a return to work constrained by tax policies. Flexibility priorities are evolving from location to time management. While hybrid work arrangements have reached an equilibrium and are widely available, the survey reveals that access to flexible hours now constitutes workers' primary preference for improving their quality of life. The 4-day week ranks second, with a significant gap between expressed preferences and current access to this form of flexibility (57% want it and 9% already have access). This shift from place to time marks a paradigm change in professional expectations.
High expectations for office experience
Luxembourg employees maintain high standards for their work environment: 65% believe their office experience could be significantly improved, with priority demands focusing on acoustic comfort (49%), 'green' elements including proximity to plants and/or access to gardens (47%), and modern design of their work environment (45%).
"The office must now justify every commute. Gone are the days when a simple meeting room was enough. Luxembourg employees demand environments that rival the comfort of their homes. Today, every trip must be justified by tangible added value," explains Mélanie Leblanc, Work Dynamics expert at JLL.
Workplace well-being: A persistent challenge
The survey reveals that 31% of Luxembourg employees feel they suffer from burnout and 20% feel isolated at work. These figures remain below the respective global averages of 39% and 35%. Even though 51% of employees declare that their company is not a 'pleasant/ideal workplace,' only one-fifth consider changing employers within the next year. The main reasons for taking this step are, in order of importance: access to flexible hours, better salary, and improving managerial relationships.
Conclusion
The JLL 2025 barometer marks a historic turning point for the Luxembourg job market: work-life balance dethrones salary for the first time as employees' absolute priority (69% vs 53%). This "silent revolution" redefines the rules of the game and forces employers to fundamentally question their model.
In an economy where "every trip to the office must be justified by tangible added value," Luxembourg companies that don't quickly adapt their HR and real estate strategies risk losing their talent to more agile employers.
Transformation is no longer an option; it's a competitive survival necessity. Organizations that can create professional ecosystems combining flexibility, environmental excellence, and authentic well-being will gain a decisive advantage in this new job market.
About JLL
For over 200 years, JLL (NYSE: JLL), a leading global commercial real estate and investment management company, has helped clients buy, build, occupy, manage and invest in a variety of commercial, industrial, hotel, residential and retail properties. A Fortune 500® company with annual revenue of $20.8 billion and operations in over 80 countries around the world, our more than 106,000 employees bring the power of a global platform combined with local expertise. Driven by our purpose to shape the future of real estate for a better world, we help our clients, people and communities SEE A BRIGHTER WAYSM. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com.