Workers with a migration background now account for more than a quarter of Germany’s employed population, with new official data showing their strong presence across healthcare, hospitality, construction and other sectors facing labour shortages.
According to figures released by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office on September 28, about 27 percent of people in employment had an immigrant background in 2025.
The data, based on Germany’s annual microcensus, shows that workers with foreign roots are particularly represented in essential services, manual occupations and professions experiencing significant shortages.
In some occupations, people with a migration background make up more than half of the workforce.
Chefs and cooks recorded one of the highest shares, with 56 percent of workers having an immigrant background. The proportion was also high in food production, where workers with migration backgrounds accounted for 55 percent of employees.
Other occupations with large shares included floor laying at 54 percent, scaffolding at 51 percent and meat processing at 51 percent.
Workers with migration backgrounds also make up a significant proportion of Germany’s shortage occupations, where employers face difficulties finding enough staff.
Foreign-origin workers represented 41 percent of professional drivers and 40 percent of hotel service employees. They also accounted for 33 percent of workers in nursing and elderly care.
Among the shortage occupations covered by the statistics, emergency rescue services recorded a much smaller proportion, with workers with an immigrant background making up seven percent of the workforce.
The figures come as Germany faces growing pressure from demographic changes, including an ageing population and a shrinking working-age population. Employers in several industries have increasingly looked to workers with migration backgrounds to fill vacant positions.
Germany has also introduced measures in recent years aimed at attracting skilled workers from abroad and making it easier for some foreign workers to enter and remain in the country.
The Federal Statistical Office defines people with a migration background as those who immigrated to Germany themselves or people whose parents both immigrated to the country after 1950.
Under that definition, approximately 21.8 million people in Germany had a migration background in 2025.
The latest employment figures show that migrants and their descendants already make up a significant share of Germany’s workforce, particularly in industries that provide essential services or face persistent recruitment difficulties.
The data comes from the microcensus, an annual sample survey covering around one percent of Germany’s population. It provides detailed information on employment and demographic trends nationwide.
As Germany’s population continues to age, the participation of workers with migration backgrounds is expected to remain an important factor in the country’s labour market and in efforts to address shortages across several industries.