Good jobs, lonely lives: Hungarian workers in Luxembourg face a hidden crisis

A new mixed-methods study reveals a paradox affecting Hungarian migrant workers in Luxembourg: strong economic integration often coexists with fragile local social ties and frequent experiences of loneliness.

Stable jobs and competitive salaries attract hundreds of Hungarians

Luxembourg attracts hundreds of Hungarian professionals with stable employment and competitive salaries. However, research based on a survey of 650 respondents and 14 in-depth interviews shows that financial security does not automatically translate into social embeddedness.

Key findings include:

• 78% hold stable full-time employment
• 63% report feeling lonely at least weekly
• 58% lack a strong local support network
• 47% are uncertain about long-term settlement in Luxembourg

How many Hungarians live in Luxembourg?

Luxembourg has a population of approximately 672,000–682,000, and the country’s demographics are highly multicultural. Foreign nationals account for approximately 47% of the total population. The largest foreign communities are Portuguese, French, Italian, and German: Hungarians are not among the largest ethnic groups. Wikipedia-like sources worldwide list Luxembourg as one of the smaller countries of the Hungarian diaspora, with a Hungarian community of approximately 2,000 people.

Digital ties to home replace, but don’t rebuild, community life

According to the survey, many migrants compensate for local isolation through transnational ties — daily digital communication with family, frequent travel home, and financial remittances — yet these strategies do not build durable local integration.

Language fatigue, limited informal participation, and housing precarity further reduce opportunities for community formation. Internal differences within the Hungarian population also shape integration trajectories, with families, single professionals, and long-term residents experiencing distinct social pressures.

Experts warn of a growing “prosperity without belonging” paradox

The study highlights a broader global-city paradox: mobility and prosperity can generate new forms of relational vulnerability. The Hungarian case offers early insight into social dynamics that may increasingly affect other skilled migrant communities in Luxembourg.

The findings suggest the need for multilingual community spaces, long-term housing stability, and integration policies that address social belonging alongside economic participation.

If you missed it:

• 100,000s of foreigners live in Hungary, while 10,000s of Hungarians leave: what does this mean for the labour market?

Policy changes could focus more on social infrastructure, not just employment

The research raises policy questions about whether Luxembourg’s integration model focuses too heavily on labour market success while underestimating the importance of social infrastructure, housing stability, and multilingual community spaces.

Luxembourg succeeds economically, but success alone does not create belonging. Many migrants are financially secure yet socially fragile. We are observing prosperity without integration — a new form of urban vulnerability.