Labour market: Immigrants fill gaps in many bottleneck occupations

Many sectors in Germany that face shortages of skilled workers are employing immigrants at above-average rates, according to the Federal Statistics Office. In 2025, 56 percent of chefs and cooks were immigrants, as were 55 percent of those working in food production, 47 percent of bus and tram drivers, and 47 percent of service staff in the restaurant industry. The average rate of immigrants in the entire economy was 27 percent.

The Federal Employment Agency defines shortage professions as those with a shortage of skilled workers or a looming shortage. Immigrants with a history of migration are defined as those who or both parents have lived in Germany since 1950. Immigrants in the care sector had a 33 percent rate, while truck drivers had a 41 percent rate.

Other shortage professions, such as rescue services (7 percent) and agriculture (15 percent), had much lower rates. Immigrants were also underrepresented in the police force (8 percent), public administration (9 percent), and teaching (9-10 percent).

The data suggests that integration into the labor market depends on the immigrant's home country of origin and the length of time spent in Germany. EU migrants who had lived in Germany for less than five years were 89 percent employed for men and 73 percent for women. Africans had 79 percent employment for men and 47 percent for women in the same time frame.

Men from the Middle East and North Africa had a 57 percent employment rate and 28 percent for women. However, these rates increase over time. After 20-25 years in Germany, 87 percent of men and 79 percent of women from the Middle East were employed, compared to 88 percent of men and 81 percent of women in the general population aged 25-59.