The local business fabric
Luxembourg Province is Belgium's largest by area and its least populated, and its economy is shaped by one border: the Grand Duchy's. Tens of thousands of Belgians cross it every day to work, which sustains local consumption and property prices but drains the local labour market of qualified people — Belgian firms in the province simply cannot match Luxembourg salaries, least of all in IT. The rest of the fabric is easy to identify: the wood industry, from forestry to processing; agriculture and livestock, showcased every year at the Libramont agricultural fair; nature tourism in the Ardennes, with accommodation, restaurants and activity providers; construction; and a layer of industrial and service SMEs spread across the Idelux business parks in Arlon, Marche, Bastogne and Aubange. It is an economy of small firms scattered across a vast territory, where digital tools often stand in for distance.