Germany: employment of people with migration roots hits 70%, pay gap persists

Employment gains

On Wednesday, 11 November, federal integration commissioner Natalie Pawlik (SPD) presented the 15th Integration Report in Berlin. The German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), led by director Frank Kalter, analysed data across 14 thematic areas for the report, which the government submits to the Bundestag every two years. Nearly 22 million people in Germany, or 26.3% of the population, have a migration background. Foreign employees rose from 1.8 million in 2009 to 5.8 million, more than tripling, and Pawlik said that growth rests largely on foreign workers. In 2025, 70% of immigrants aged 15 to 64 were in work, up from 57% in 2005, while 81% of people without a migration background were employed. Among immigrant women the rate was 62%, against 76% for immigrant men, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

The strongest growth came in health and social services, where more than 700,000 people without a German passport work. Their number in that sector rose 38.9% over four years, while hospitality grew 24.2% and transport and warehousing 21.8%. Pawlik said:

“Whether in care, skilled trades, industry or logistics, people with a migration background contribute to our country's prosperity.”

Immigrants, 200557%

Immigrants, 202570%

No migration background, 202581%

Immigrants, 2005

57 %

Immigrants, 2025

70 %

No migration background, 2025

81 %

Data from the article text

Income and education gaps

Pay remains lower for people with a migration background. Full-time immigrants aged 17 to 64 earned a median gross monthly income of 3,494 euros in 2025, 16% less than the 4,165 euros of people without one. Descendants of immigrants earned 3,676 euros, 12% less, while people with one immigrant parent earned 3,997 euros, 4% less. On education, nearly half of descendants now reach a higher level than their parents, and the share of 25 to 34 year olds with a university degree has more than doubled since 2009 to 27%. Even so, 37.5% of young adult immigrants lack a vocational qualification, and children with a migration background attend a Kita less often. Pawlik said:

“Not all children have the same starting conditions.”

She added that young people without German citizenship leave school without a diploma more often.

Immigrants3,494

Descendants of immigrants3,676

One immigrant parent3,997

No migration background4,165

Immigrants

3494 EUR

Descendants of immigrants

3676 EUR

One immigrant parent

3997 EUR

No migration background

4165 EUR

Data from the article text

Budget warning

Pawlik warned against cutting integration services. She said she had "great fears" that integration infrastructure would suffer from the state of the federal budget, and she could name no concrete signs of improvement for now. She pointed to planned cuts to language and integration courses, migration counselling and independent asylum counselling, and said volunteer services in states and municipalities are at risk of being scrapped. Pawlik went on:

“We cannot expect people to integrate and demand integration on one side while weakening the conditions for it on the other.”

Her call was for good education, language support and better access to work.

Belonging and perceptions

The report puts the sense of belonging at 81% among immigrants, 89% among their children and 91% among people without a migration background. Of immigrants who have lived in Germany for at least five years, 79% rate their German as good, a figure based on self-assessment. Almost 90% of women the report classes as racialised say they perceive racism in German authorities, against about 83% of men. The regional figure is 87.5% in western Germany and 84.5% in the east, the reverse of the usual focus on the east. Kalter said he did not want to speculate and that the survey had not analysed the question, though the data would probably allow it. He offered an initial explanation that the groups in east and west are composed differently, and said the question would be pursued.