In 2025, the employment rate of immigrants in the European Union reached its highest level since 2017, according to a study published on Friday 24 July by the German branch of the Rockwool Foundation and the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
The sharpest increase concerns people from non-EU countries, whose employment rate rose from 59% in 2017 to 66% in 2025. Meanwhile, immigrants born in the EU recorded a rate of 75%, now exceeding that of the EU native population (72%).
However, deep disparities persist within the European labour market. The gap is explained mainly by gender: while men born in third countries are almost catching up with the employment rate of their European counterparts (74.9% compared with 75.2%), women born outside the EU remain far behind (57.4% compared with 68%).
Moreover, education does not resolve all inequalities. Even when they are highly qualified, non-EU immigrants remain significantly less integrated into employment than natives with an equivalent level of education. The study sees in this significant “untapped potential” in the face of labour shortages in Europe.
Full study: https://aeur.eu/f/n16 (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)