Overview

• IAB figures reported by ZDFheute show 64% of the 2015 cohort in paid jobs and another 5% self-employed.
• Employment among this group returned to roughly pre-flight levels by 2024, outpacing earlier refugee generations.
• A large gender gap persists, with over three quarters of men working compared with about one third of women, and parents—especially mothers—participating less due to childcare constraints.
• Many work in hard-to-staff roles that tend to pay less, with women often in health care and men in manufacturing, logistics and transport.
• About 34% of households from the cohort still receive Bürgergeld, reflecting barriers such as limited German skills, weak social networks, trauma and non-recognition of foreign qualifications.