The German Institute for Employment Research (IAB) reported that in July 2026, the number of employed foreign nationals grew by approximately 170,000 compared to the same month of the previous year. Employment among Ukrainian nationals increased by approximately 63,000 people over this period.
The IAB notes that employment figures for the last four months of the statistical series are preliminary and based on extrapolations.
- In July 2026, the number of employed foreign nationals was approximately 170,000 higher than in July 2025, representing a 2.6% increase.
- Among Ukrainian nationals, employment rose by approximately 63,000, or 18.3%; their employment rate reached 39.9%, an increase of 3.7 percentage points year-on-year.
Employment growth compared to last year
According to IAB data, foreign national employment in Germany in July 2026 increased by roughly 170,000 individuals, or 2.6%, relative to July 2025. Over the same period, total employment in Germany contracted by approximately 180,000 people. The IAB also pointed out that without foreign employment growth, the statistical decline would have totaled around 350,000 people.
Figures for Ukrainian nationals
The number of employed Ukrainian citizens in July 2026 grew by around 63,000, or 18.3%, compared to July 2025. The employment rate among Ukrainian nationals stood at 39.9%, up 3.7 percentage points from the prior year.
Diverse observation periods
In August 2026, Germany’s foreign population according to the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR) fell by around 2,500 people compared to July. The unemployment rate among the foreign population in July stood at 14.2% — 0.8 percentage points lower than a year earlier. Separately, the IAB reported the number of unemployed foreign nationals in September: it was approximately 26,000 individuals, or 2.4%, lower than in September 2025.
These indicators reference different time periods: population change applies to August, the unemployment rate to July, and the number of unemployed individuals to September 2026. The report also clarifies that statistics are categorized by nationality rather than migration status, and the employment metric covers employees subject to social insurance contributions, excluding the self-employed and civil servants.