Migrant employment in the European Union has reached a record high in 2025, narrowing the gap with local workers but still leaving significant untapped workforce potential, according to a report by the ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin) seen by Reuters on Thursday.
The employment rate of immigrants increased to 68,2% last year, from 67,8% in 2024, according to a study by the Center for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM) at RFBerlin, based on Eurostat data.
“The percentage of employed immigrants has been increasing for years and the figures are close to those of the native population,” said Tommaso Frattini, deputy director of CReAM.
The biggest improvement was seen among non-EU immigrants. Their employment rate increased by 6,6 percentage points between 2017 and 2025, from 59,4% to 66%, narrowing the gap with the native population.
However, the situation varies significantly from country to country. The employment of non-EU migrants is particularly high in Malta, the Czech Republic and Ireland, but much lower in Belgium and Finland.
In Germany, this rate stands at 66,1%, compared to 79,6% in the domestic population, according to the study.
The report highlights that the remaining differences are concentrated among non-EU immigrant women and highly educated immigrants.
“Today, the challenge is no longer simply to integrate immigrants into the labor market, but to ensure that their skills are fully utilized,” said Christian Dustmann, director of RFBerlin.