New official data reveals that foreign-born workers and their descendants make up more than a quarter of all employees in Germany. As such, they play a crucial role in key industries like healthcare, hospitality and construction.
More than a quarter of all employed people in Germany -- 27 percent -- have an immigrant background.
That's according to new figures released on Monday (September 28) by Germany's Federal Statistical Office.
Data from the 2025 microcensus shows that workers with foreign roots are particularly indispensable in essential service sectors, blue-collar jobs as well as key shortage occupations (so-called Engpassberufe) across the country.
In several lines of work, people of foreign origin make up the majority of the workforce. For instance, 56 percent of all chefs and cooks in Germany have an immigrant background.
Other sectors heavily relying on foreign-born workers include food production (55 percent), floor laying (54 percent), scaffolding (51 percent), and meat processing (51 percent).
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Indispensable for key shortage occupations
Furthermore, foreign-born staff account for an above-average share in critical shortage occupations struggling with severe labor deficits. This includes professional drivers (41 percent), hotel service staff (40 percent) as well as nursing and elderly care workers (33 percent).
By contrast, the lowest share of workers with an immigrant background (seven percent) of all shortage occupations was recorded among emergency rescue service workers.
Due to demographic factors including an aging population, Germany's economy is increasingly reliant on foreign-born workers. Several past studies have highlighted this dependency as well as other benefits of immigration for the economy. A study released in January, for instance, suggests that the arrival of refugees in Germany is linked to increased business creation and job growth.
The definition of 'migrant background' used by the Federal Statistical Office, according to which approximately 21.8 million people had one last year, includes those who have immigrated themselves or both of whose parents have immigrated to Germany since 1950.
The microcensus is a sample survey in which around one percent of the population in Germany is surveyed each year.
with dpa