EU Immigrant Employment Hits 68% Record in 2025 as Non-EU Rate Climbs to 66%
Updated
Updated · HR Brew · Jul 31
EU Immigrant Employment Hits 68% Record in 2025 as Non-EU Rate Climbs to 66%
1 articles · Updated · HR Brew · Jul 31
Summary
A CReAM study found immigrant employment in the EU reached 68% in 2025, the highest level in nearly a decade, with intra-EU migrants matching or exceeding native-born workers' employment rates.
Non-EU immigrants also gained ground, with their employment rate rising to 66% from 59% in 2017, which researchers linked to greater flexibility and mobility toward labor-short regions.
Country results still varied: Belgium struggled to lift employment for non-EU immigrants, while Malta, Czechia and Ireland reported those workers were more likely to be employed than natives.
Gender remained the biggest inequality driver, with non-EU immigrant women facing an unemployment gap of 11 percentage points versus native-born women, while the gap for men was under 0.5 point.
Higher education improved employment prospects across groups, but educated non-EU immigrants still faced higher unemployment than similarly educated non-immigrants, underscoring persistent integration barriers.