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4h ago

Ten Years On, IAB Finds Most 2015 Refugees Working, With Persistent Gender and Pay Gaps

An IAB review pinpoints childcare access as the main roadblock to raising employment, especially for refugee women.

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Ein Asylbewerber aus Somalia arbeitet in einer Firma an einem Stahlsegment.
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Overview

  • The IAB reports that 64% of people who arrived in 2015 held dependent jobs in 2024, rising to roughly 70% when self-employment is included, close to the national rate.
  • Employment remains highly uneven by gender, with 76% of men working versus 35% of women, and refugee women far more likely to be in part-time roles.
  • Median gross monthly pay for full-time workers from the cohort reached €2,675 in 2023, about 70–71% of the median for all full-time employees in Germany.
  • Roughly one-third of households from the 2015 arrivals continued to receive Bürgergeld by 2023/2024 despite overall gains in employment.
  • Many work in shortage and system-relevant occupations, yet outcomes differ widely across states, with stronger results in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Rheinland-Pfalz and Hamburg than in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Sachsen-Anhalt; the study also flags language, credential recognition, bureaucracy and local attitudes as key hurdles.