People with a migration background are very often found in many shortage occupations (occupations with a shortage of workers). They account for a significantly higher proportion of these occupations than in the economy as a whole: in 2024, a good quarter (26%) of all employees in Germany had a migration background. This was reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) in a press release.
Particularly high proportions in production, catering, and transport
The highest proportion in 2024 was in welding and joining technology (60%). In food production and among cooks, the proportion was 54% in each case. Destatis cites further high figures in scaffolding (48%), bus and tram drivers (47%), meat processing (46%), and service staff in the catering industry (45%).
The percentages were also well above the overall economic average in plastics and rubber manufacturing (44%), hotel services (40%), professional drivers in freight transport (39%), metalworking (37%), geriatric care (33%), freight forwarding and logistics (32%), and metal construction and electrical engineering (30% each). The lowest proportions within the shortage occupations were measured in emergency services (8%), judicial administration (9%), and agriculture (15%).
Which industries are particularly dependent
According to Destatis, it is not only individual occupations but entire industries that are heavily dependent on immigrant workers: in 2024, more than half (54%) of all employees in the catering industry had an immigrant background, and the figure was 50% in building maintenance. Above-average proportions were also found in accommodation (43%), security services, private households with domestic staff, warehousing and other transport services (42% each) and postal, courier and express services (41% each).
Definition and data basis
In the microcensus, people with an immigrant background are defined as those who themselves or both of whose parents have immigrated to Germany since 1950. Destatis bases its figures on the 2024 microcensus. Bottleneck occupations are defined as occupations in which, according to the bottleneck analysis of the Federal Employment Agency (BA), there is or is likely to be a shortage of skilled workers. The term microcensus means “small population census.” The microcensus is the largest annual household survey in official statistics. Around 1% of the population is surveyed annually on behalf of the entire population about their living conditions. This corresponds to almost 800,000 people in just under 400,000 private households and communal accommodations.
See: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2025/10/PD25_N057_13.html
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