Rising Employment Among EU Immigrants
In 2025, the proportion of employed migrants in EU countries climbed to a historic 68.2%, up from 67.8% in the previous year. This gradual upswing reflects improving labor market conditions for foreign-born workers. These figures come from the latest EU labor market statistics, highlighting ongoing integration trends. The most notable gains occurred among non-EU immigrants, whose employment rate rose from 59.4% in 2017 to 66% in 2025—a 6.6 percentage point increase. Meanwhile, immigrants from other EU member states saw their employment rate climb from 71.1% to 74.8% over the same period.
Native-born Workers and Labor Market Challenges
The native-born population also recorded an uptick in employment, from 67.2% to 71.6% between 2017 and 2025. As of 2025, the total number of immigrants in the EU stood at 64.2 million. The highest employment rates for non-EU immigrants were recorded in:
- Malta
- Czech Republic
- Ireland
while the lowest were in Belgium and Finland. In Germany, immigrant employment reached 66.1%, compared to 79.6% for native-born residents.
Despite these positive trends, many women and highly skilled professionals from outside the EU remain without jobs. Tommaso Frattini commented:
"The share of working immigrants has been rising for many years, and these numbers are approaching those of the native population."Christian Dustmann added:
"The challenge today is not just to get immigrants into jobs, but to fully leverage their skills."These remarks underscore the persistent hurdles immigrants face in Europe’s labor markets.
The rising employment of immigrants in the EU signals better integration into the workforce, which could benefit the region’s economy. However, the ongoing difficulties faced by women and highly skilled specialists call for continued attention from policymakers and employers to optimize the use of labor resources. These issues are likely to feature prominently in future EU political and economic initiatives.
While the overall employment rates for immigrants in the EU are on the rise, the situation in the Netherlands presents a contrasting trend. The country has experienced its third consecutive year of declining immigration, which raises questions about the factors influencing labor market dynamics across Europe. To explore this development further, read more about the recent changes in Dutch immigration patterns.