Overview
- The Bertelsmann‑Stiftung analysis finds Germany will need roughly 288,000 to 368,000 net migrants each year to keep the number of workers from falling as large cohorts retire.
- Recent labour data in the study show German social‑insurance employees declined while foreign employees rose, leaving more than one million vacancies that migrants are already helping to fill.
- Many low‑paid essential sectors rely heavily on foreign staff, with the study citing about 47.5% foreign share in cleaning, about 44% in food manufacturing and 36% in tourism and gastronomy.
- The study documents large qualification mismatches and a gender gap: roughly 36% of foreign workers are employed as helpers versus about 12% of Germans and immigrant women have markedly lower employment because of childcare, language and network barriers.
- It recommends concrete fixes to realise migration’s benefits, including reliably funded, work‑linked language training, faster and affordable recognition or requalification of credentials, shorter asylum and permit delays, and a bundled contact point to bridge immigration and employment authorities