Immigrants fill critical roles across Germany’s labour market, data shows

# What the data says In 2025, 27 percent of employees in Germany had a migrant background, based on the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) microcensus. The survey covered about 800,000 people in 400,000 private households and collective living quarters. The figures show that workers with non-German roots are concentrated in sectors where skilled labour is scarce.

# Which professions rely most on people with a migrant background The highest shares appear where shortages are entrenched:

• Chefs: 56 percent have a migrant background.
• Food production industry: 55 percent.
• Bus and tram drivers, and catering service personnel: 47 percent.
• Geriatric and nursing care: 33 percent.
• Professional drivers in goods transport: 41 percent.
• Hotel service sector: 40 percent.

These sector-level shares are well above the overall 27 percent figure, indicating that immigration is structurally important for specific industries.

# Employment patterns over time

# Why these numbers matter for policy and employers The concentration of workers with migrant roots in sectors facing shortages has practical implications:

• Workforce planning: Employers in hospitality, care, transport and food production depend on immigrant labour to meet demand.
• Immigration and integration policy: Long-term employment gains among migrants point to benefits of effective labour-market integration measures, including recognition of qualifications and language training.
• Training and retention: Sectors with high shares of migrant workers may need targeted training pipelines and retention policies that consider mobility, certification recognition and working conditions.

# What the figures do not say The microcensus provides high-level shares and employment-rate comparisons, but it does not detail wages, working hours, qualification matches, or how many workers entered through specific migration channels. It also does not break down regional variations or employer-level dependencies.

# Practical takeaways for readers If you are an employer in hospitality, transport, food production or care, expect that recruiting and retaining workers with migrant backgrounds will remain central. If you work in policy, these numbers point to where integration measures and skills-recognition efforts can have the most immediate labour-market impact.

# Short conclusion The Destatis microcensus for 2025 shows that people with a migrant background form a substantial share of the workforce in several sectors facing skilled-labour shortages. Employment among migrants rises with time lived in Germany, narrowing the gap with the overall population over the long term.