The employment of migrants in EU countries has reached a record level - more than 68 percent. But there is still untapped potential.
More and more migrants in the EU are managing to find work - the employed are now over 68 percent, which is more than ever, according to a study by the Berlin-based "Rockwool" foundation.
The quota of employed people from non-EU countries has increased particularly significantly - from 59 to 66 percent since 2017. And for migrants from other countries in the Community, the growth over the same period was from 71 to almost 75 percent.
Large differences between countries
However, experts have found that there are significant differences within Europe. The highest employment rate among people from non-EU countries is in Malta, the Czech Republic and Ireland, and the lowest is in Belgium and Finland.
"The share of working migrants has been growing for many years and now their indicators are close to those of the local population", Tommaso Frattini, a professor of economics from Milan, told ARD.
There is potential for women and highly qualified people
Despite the positive development, the authors of the study see untapped potential for the labor market - especially for women from non-EU countries, as well as for highly qualified migrants, who often do work that does not correspond to their education.
"Europe has made remarkable progress in integrating migrants into the labor market,", emphasized Christian Dunstmann, director of the "Rockwell" Foundation, to ARD. "Today, the challenge is no longer simply to provide jobs for migrants - it is much more important to make full use of their qualifications."
Therefore, recommendations in this regard are for faster recognition of foreign qualifications, for the abolition of unnecessary certification barriers and for greater participation of women from non-EU countries - this would help to address the shortage of labor.