Foreign-origin workers form over a quarter of Germany’s workforce; exceed 50% in several trades
Microcensus 2025: in several trades more than half of employees are of immigrant origin
Workers with an immigrant background now make up a sizeable slice of Germany’s labor force, and in several occupations they constitute a majority. Official microcensus figures for 2025 show that 27 percent of all employed people in Germany fall into this category.
The highest concentrations are found in industries that have long struggled to fill vacancies: catering, food manufacturing and parts of construction. The microcensus reports that 56 percent of cooks in Germany are people with an immigrant background; in food production the share is 55 percent, and among those who lay floor coverings it is 54 percent. More than half of workers in scaffolding erection and in the meat-processing industry also have immigrant roots.
High dependence in sectors with chronic shortages
Beyond these trades, the data show substantial shares in other persistently demanded occupations: professional drivers account for 41 percent, hotel services 40 percent, and the care sector 33 percent. Employers say recruitment pressure will intensify as the population ages and many domestic workers reach retirement.
The microcensus defines people with an immigrant background as those who immigrated to Germany themselves and those whose two parents moved to the country after 1950. That means the figure includes not only non-German nationals but also Germans with a family migration history.
In 2024 Germany recorded a total of 46.1 million employed people — a postwar high — and analysts link part of the employment growth to incoming workers from abroad who help ease labor shortfalls across multiple sectors. To secure sufficient staff, Germany has recently relaxed some rules and negotiated bilateral agreements to open access for workers from non-EU countries, targeting shortages especially in health care, care services, transport, hospitality, construction and manufacturing.
Immigration remains politically sensitive. While some parties call for tighter controls, business representatives warn that restricting access to foreign labor could deepen staffing gaps and hinder everyday operations in key parts of the economy.
Photo: Fripik
