Many Syrians are now working in key industries
According to the Federal Employment Agency, the integration of Syrian refugees into the labor market has been successful overall. BA Chairwoman Andrea Nahles told *Der Spiegel*: “From the Federal Employment Agency’s perspective, we actually believe that Syrian refugees have integrated well into the labor market.”
According to the report, many Syrians now work in healthcare, nursing, retail, or logistics—sectors in which Germany has long faced a shortage of staff.
They do not merely perform menial tasks. About half of them work in skilled positions. Many are also employed in so-called shortage occupations. According to figures from the German Economic Institute, in August 2025, approximately 80,000 Syrians employed in jobs subject to social insurance contributions were working in such occupations.
The longer the stay, the more successful one is in the job market
According to the study, there is one main reason why the overall employment rate stands at just 47 percent —lower than that of German citizens (employment rate: 71 percent): many Syrians have not been living in Germany long enough to have fully integrated into the labor market.
If we take a closer look at people who have been living in Germany for seven years or longer, a different picture emerges. According to the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the employment rate in this group is around 61 percent.
The Federal Employment Agency also points out that the average figure of 47 percent somewhat distorts the actual trend. This is because it includes many people who have only recently arrived in Germany.
The Federal Employment Agency’s study also shows that the number of employed individuals increases with the length of stay: The study analyzed a group of approximately 213,000 Syrian nationals who first received social benefits in 2016. By June 2017, only about 20,000 of them were employed. By the end of 2024, this number had risen to approximately 111,000.
The nature of employment has also changed. In December 2024, of the 111,000 employees in the group surveyed, a good 99,000 were employed in positions subject to social insurance contributions—meaning they paid into pension, health, and unemployment insurance.
The study therefore concludes that integration into the labor market does not happen overnight, but rather step by step.
Syrian women often enter the workforce later
However, the report also highlights significant differences between Syrian men and women. While Syrian men find employment relatively quickly, with an employment rate of around 62 percent, the rate for working Syrian women is only about 22 percent.
While their employment is also rising, it is doing so at a much slower pace. The Federal Employment Agency attributes this, among other things, to the fact that Syrian women are more likely to take on responsibilities within the family—such as caring for children or looking after relatives.
However, the study does not include all Syrians
Despite the generally positive trend, the figures do not reflect the full picture of the situation facing Syrians in Germany. The study focuses only on a specific group: Syrians who received social benefits for the first time in 2016.
People who found work immediately at that time and did not need benefits are not included in the analysis. Self-employed individuals and family members who help out are also only partially reflected in the figures.
In addition, many Syrians have since obtained German citizenship. They are no longer counted as Syrian workers in the statistics. The results therefore show a positive trend—but cannot be readily applied to all of the approximately 950,000 Syrians in Germany.
Another important factor is age: on average, Syrians in Germany are very young. About one-third are minors. This means that many are still in school or undergoing vocational training and are not yet available to the labor market.
