The German Institute for Employment Research (IAB) recently delved into national statistics to present a detailed map of the professional integration of refugees who arrived in Germany in 2015 and 2016 (around 1.2 million people, 29% of whom were women).
A high employment rate
In 2024, the employment rate for refugees was 64%. If we add the self-employed (5%), we get an employment rate of around 70%, exactly the same as for the German population as a whole. Male refugees from the eight most common countries of origin of asylum seekers – Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia and Nigeria – even have a higher employment rate (76%) than the average for the German male population, while women have an employment rate of 35%, which is well below the female average. In the case of male refugees, this can be explained by the fact that they are considerably younger, and therefore more active, than the German population. As for refugee women, who are more likely to work part-time, the lack of childcare facilities and the low level of education are major obstacles for them.
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.