Immigrants ensure a supply of skilled workers in many professions.

The proportion of people with a migration background in shortage occupations is reaching record highs. They are particularly strongly represented in the construction and hospitality sectors.

Employees with a migration background are now securing the future of many sectors of the German economy. Their share is significantly higher than average, particularly in sectors with a substantial shortage of skilled workers . This is shown in an analysis by the Federal Statistical Office for the year 2025.

High proportion in shortage occupations

Employees with a migration background have become indispensable in many sectors of the economy . By 2025, they will make up more than a quarter (27 percent) of all employees . According to the Federal Statistical Office, people have a migration background if they themselves or both parents immigrated to Germany since 1950.

The proportion is particularly high in sectors with a shortage of skilled workers . For example, by 2025, 56 percent of chefs and 55 percent of employees in food production will have an immigrant background. In flooring and scaffolding , the figure is over 50 percent, as it is in meat processing.

Among bus and tram drivers, as well as service staff in the hospitality industry , the proportion is also 47 percent. In the care sector, 33 percent of employees have a migration background, and among professional truck drivers in freight transport, the figure is even higher at 41 percent. Other so-called shortage occupations, such as hotel service (40 percent) and nursing and elderly care (33 percent), report above-average figures. In the electrical construction sector, the figure is 29 percent.

You might also be interested in:

Operations management

Construction site travel as working time: When do you get paid?

Operations management

Süffa with three focus topics at the pulse of the meat industry

Craft policy

Craftsmen in Saxony oppose packaging tax

According to the Federal Employment Agency, shortage occupations are those occupations in which there is a shortage of skilled workers or a shortage is foreseeable.

Only a few in the public service

Nevertheless, it is evident that in other sectors with a need for new talent, there are hardly any people with a migration background working. In emergency medical services , their share is seven percent, and in agriculture, it is 15 percent. In the public sector, for example in the police force (eight percent) or among teachers (nine to ten percent), their share also remains low.

Integration depends on the region of origin and length of stay.

Integration into the labor market depends heavily on the region of origin and the length of stay. Among men from the European Union who have lived in Germany for less than five years, 89 percent are employed. For women in this group, the figure is 73 percent. Of immigrants from Africa, 79 percent of men and 47 percent of women are employed. Among immigrants from the Middle East, 57 percent of men and 28 percent of women are employed.

However, these rates increase significantly with longer periods of residence : After 20 to 25 years in Germany, approximately 87 percent of men and 79 percent of women from the Middle East are employed. By comparison, in the general population aged 25 to 59, 88 percent of men and 81 percent of women are employed.

The German Crafts Journal is now also available digitally! Simply click here and register for the digital edition!