High proportion of migrants in bottleneck occupations
Many sectors affected by the shortage of skilled workers are now heavily reliant on workers with a migration background. This is particularly evident in skilled trades, technical and catering professions - according to the study, the proportion of employees with an immigration background is particularly high in these sectors.
- Welding and joining technology: 60 %
- Food production / cooks: 54 % each
- Scaffolding: 48 %
- Bus and streetcar drivers: 47 %
- Meat processing: 46 %
- Service staff in gastronomy: 45 %
- Plastics and rubber production: 44 %
- Hotel service: 40 %
- Professional drivers in freight transport: 39 %
- Metalworking: 37 %
- Elderly care: 33 %
- Forwarding and logistics clerks: 32 %
- Metal construction and electrical engineering: 30
Hardly any migrants in administration, police or emergency services
While there are numerous employees with a history of immigration working in many skilled trades, technical and nursing professions, they are significantly underrepresented in other areas. Their share is particularly low in the emergency services (8 percent), in the administration of justice (9 percent) and in agriculture (15 percent).
The picture is similar outside of the shortage occupations: In the police enforcement service, the proportion of people with a migration background is only 7 percent, while in public administration and social and tax administration it is around 9 to 10 percent. Among teachers, people with a history of immigration make up 9 percent at primary level and 12 percent at secondary level.
According to experts, there is a lot of catching up to do here, particularly in terms of access to education, training and public jobs. According to labour market researcher Magdalena Polloczek, these professions not only have a social significance, but also a representative one - especially when it comes to making a diverse society visible in state institutions.
A particularly large number of migrants work in these sectors
At the same time, there are entire sectors that are particularly reliant on people with a history of migration. They are particularly well represented in the hospitality industry, where more than half of all employees (54%) are immigrants, according to the study.
The proportion is equally high in building maintenance and cleaning and in gardening and landscaping (50 percent each). Migrants are also represented above average in the hotel and accommodation sector (43%), in security services, in private households with domestic staff and in warehousing and transportation services (42% each).
Even in other sectors such as postal, courier and express services, the share of 41% is well above the average for the economy as a whole.
There are also high figures in two sectors that each have more than one million employees: In retirement and nursing homes and in motor vehicle production, around 32% of employees each have a history of immigration.
Conclusion
The figures in the study make it clear that people with a history of migration are an important part of the German labor market - especially in professions where there is a shortage of skilled workers or which are indispensable for everyday life. Without them, many industries, from care to transportation to gastronomy, would hardly function.
At the same time, they remain severely underrepresented in other areas such as the public sector, education and the police. In order to promote equal opportunities and reflect the diversity of society in these professions, experts are calling for better access to training, qualifications and employment.
