Germany labor market: Migrants fill critical shortage roles

Data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reveals that workers with a migration background play a critical role in the German economy, particularly in sectors facing acute labor shortages. While approximately 27 percent of all employees in Germany have a migration background, their representation is significantly higher in many 'bottleneck' professions.

In several industries, people with migration backgrounds constitute more than half of the workforce, including cooks (56 percent), food manufacturing (55 percent), floor laying (54 percent), scaffolding (51 percent), and meat processing (51 percent). They are also highly represented in hospitality service (47 percent) and public transport (47 percent). In the healthcare and nursing sector, they account for 33 percent of employees.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, a study by the Center for Turkish Studies and Integration Research (ZfTI) notes that people with migration backgrounds have a higher employment rate (61 percent) than locals (56 percent), largely due to a younger average age.

To address ongoing skilled labor shortages, German economic and political institutions are launching new strategies. This includes digital recruitment campaigns targeting countries like Kenya, the Philippines, Colombia, and Uzbekistan, as well as initiatives to upskill unskilled workers to fill gaps in sectors like elderly care.