The employment rate among immigrants in Germany has risen over two decades. In 2025, 70 per cent of people who had immigrated themselves and were aged between 15 and 64 were in work. That was 13 percentage points higher than in 2005, the Federal Statistical Office said on 11 November 2026. Among people without an immigration background the rate was still higher, at 81 per cent in 2025.
The figures come from the microcensus and feed into the 15th integration report of the of the Federal Government, published on the same day. They show both increased participation in the labour market and persistent differences between population groups. The rates alone do not reveal the reasons for these differences. The gap was particularly wide among women. In 2025, according to the authority, 62 per cent of immigrant women aged between 15 and 64 were in employment, compared with 79 per cent of women without an immigration background. The corresponding figures for men were 76 and 83 per cent. The difference between the groups was therefore 17 percentage points for women and seven for men.
The
employment rate also rose among people born in Germany to two immigrant parents: from 47 per cent in 2005 to 70 per cent in 2025. The Federal Statistical Office says the particularly sharp increase is partly linked to the age structure. A larger proportion of this group has now reached working age. The same applies to people with one immigrant parent, whose rate rose from 48 to 72 per cent.The statistics distinguish between people who immigrated themselves and those whose parents immigrated. Under the definition used, a person has an immigration background if they themselves, or both their parents, immigrated to Germany after 1950. People born in Germany with only one immigrant parent are reported separately.
There are also differences in income. In 2025, the Federal Statistical Office calculated median gross employment income of €3,494 for immigrants aged between 17 and 64 who worked full time. The figure for people without an immigration background was €4,165. The median is the value above which half of the incomes considered lie and below which the other half lie. The comparison looked at full-time workers to limit differences in hours worked.
The results have limitations: the microcensus is a sample survey whose data are extrapolated. The provisional results reported for 2025 relate to private households with a main residence; people in communal accommodation are not included. For income, the authority uses a separate survey component and model-based estimates. The figures therefore describe the groups covered, but do not in themselves explain individual employment histories or the reasons for income differences.
destatis.de
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).