The employment rate among individuals with an immigration history in Germany has risen by 13 percentage points since 2005, reaching 70% in 2025 for those aged 15 to 64. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, known as Destatis, based on the microcensus, the rate compares with 57% recorded in 2005. For individuals without an immigration history, the employment rate stood at 81% in 2025, representing an 11-percentage-point difference. Persons are defined as having an immigration history if they or both of their parents migrated to Germany starting in 1950. Out of a total population of 52.7 million people aged 15 to 64 living in Germany, 12.8 million, or 24%, are immigrants, while 3.2 million, or 6%, are descendants of two immigrant parents, and 2.5 million, or 5%, have one immigrant parent. These figures form part of 58 indicators featured in the 15th integration report released by the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, alongside the statistical office's Integration Dashboard.
Employment rates have advanced continuously across all groups since 2005. The increase was particularly pronounced among descendants of immigrants, where the share of employed individuals grew by 23 percentage points from 47% in 2005 to 70% in 2025. A comparable development was observed among people with one immigrant parent, with their employment rate climbing from 48% to 72% over the same period. Destatis attributes this stronger growth primarily to demographic shifts in age structures, as larger proportions of these groups reached working age. For individuals without an immigration history, the employment rate moved up by 13 percentage points from 68% to 81%.
Average ages within these cohorts shifted notably between 2005 and 2025. Descendants of immigrants reached an average age of 22.2 years in 2025, compared with 12.8 years in 2005. Similarly, individuals with a single immigrant parent averaged 25.8 years of age in 2025, up from 13.3 years in 2005. By contrast, immigrants themselves had an average age of 43.5 years in 2025 compared to 41.8 years in 2005, while people without an immigration history averaged 47.6 years, up from 43.4 years.
Disparities remain evident when examining employment rates by gender. Immigrant men participated in paid work more frequently than immigrant women in 2025, with rates of 76% and 62%, respectively. Furthermore, the gap between immigrant women and women without an immigration history was wider than the corresponding male comparison. The employment rate for immigrant women at 62% was 17 percentage points below that of women without an immigration history at 79%. For immigrant men at 76%, the rate stood 7 percentage points lower than the 83% recorded for men without an immigration history.
Regarding earnings, full-time employed immigrants aged 17 to 64 recorded a median gross monthly income of 3,494 euros in 2025. This figure was 16% lower than the median income of 4,165 euros for full-time workers without an immigration history. Descendants of immigrants working full-time earned a median of 3,676 euros, representing a 12% difference, while individuals with one immigrant parent reported a median income of 3,997 euros, sitting 4% lower.
Job security sentiment, measured via the Socio-Economic Panel, showed that individuals in Germany expressed fewer concerns about their employment status in 2025 compared to 2005 across all groups. Among immigrants, the proportion of those reporting no concerns about their job rose from 28% in 2005 to 55% in 2025. For individuals without an immigration history, this metric increased from 38% to 71%. Descendants of immigrants displayed a similar path, moving from 28% to 54%, while those with a single immigrant parent registered the highest share without job concerns at 74%, compared to 46% in 2005.
The statistical office provides these findings through its online Integration Dashboard, covering 58 indicators across 14 thematic fields including the labor market, education, demographics, and social participation. The microcensus operates as an annual sample survey covering roughly 1% of the German population living in private main-residence households, excluding individuals residing in collective accommodations such as refugees.
