BRUSSELS, July 24. /Dunyo IA/. Employment among immigrants in the European Union reached a record high in 2025, narrowing the gap with the native-born population, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

However, a significant share of immigrants’ labour potential remains untapped, according to a study by the ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin) reviewed by Reuters.

The report, prepared by the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM) at “RFBerlin” and based on “Eurostat” data, found that the employment rate among immigrants increased to 68.2% in 2025 from 67.8% a year earlier.

According to CReAM Deputy Director Tommaso Frattini, the share of employed immigrants has been rising steadily for many years and has now come close to the employment rate of the native-born population.

The strongest improvement was recorded among non-EU immigrants. Between 2017 and 2025, their employment rate increased by 6.6 percentage points, from 59.4% to 66%. Over the same period, the employment rate among EU immigrants rose from 71.1% to 74.8%, while the rate among the native-born population increased from 67.2% to 71.6%.

Employment outcomes continue to vary significantly across EU member states. The highest employment rates for non-EU immigrants were recorded in Malta, the Czech Republic and Ireland, while Belgium and Finland reported considerably lower levels.

In Germany, the employment rate among non-EU immigrants stands at 66.1%, compared with 79.6% for the native-born population.

The study notes that the remaining employment gap is concentrated primarily among non-EU women and highly educated migrants. According to “RFBerlin” Director Christian Dustmann, the key challenge is no longer simply helping immigrants find jobs, but ensuring that their skills are fully utilised.