Immigrant unemployment below 10 percent across OECD countries

Brussels -In the face of increasingly harsh rhetoric on immigration and its alleged effects on European and Western societies, the picture presented today by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) offers a perspective that goes beyond a purely security-based approach.​ In the 38 member countries, the unemployment rate for immigrants was below 10 percent in 2024. Indeed, in most OECD countries, “the labor force participation rate of immigrants exceeded that of the native-born population.”

In addition to 22 EU countries, the OECD includes the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, and Turkey. Overall, after three years of significant increase, permanent migration to the 38 OECD countries decreased by 4 percent in 2024, for a total of 6.2 million new immigrants. Some seek to reunite with their families, which is still the main reason for permanent migration; others do so for work, and others do so to flee humanitarian crises.

At the same time, approximately 2.3 million work permits and authorizations were granted in 2024 in OECD countries, representing a 26 percent increase from 2019, while university student mobility decreased by 13 percent over the same period. Finally, 2024 set a new record for asylum applications in the 38 countries, with 3 million new applications, 13 percent more than in 2023. This increase was driven mainly by increases in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, while in EU countries, the average number of applications decreased.

Beyond the numbers on macro-processes, the annual OECD report focuses on the economic and labour market implications in the countries involved. On average, almost 77 percent of immigrants are economically active (for comparison, only 63 percent of the Italian population is active), with nearly 71 percent employed and less than 10 percent unemployed. At the EU level, the employment rate for the immigrant population in 2024 was 67.9 percent, while the unemployment rate was 9.6 percent. In some European countries, including Poland, Italy, and Spain, both parameters have improved over the past year. In Italy, the unemployment rate among migrants decreased by 1.3 percentage points between 2023 and 2024. 

By aggregating data from 15 countries between 2000 and 2019, the report reveals that on average, immigrants entering the labour market earn 34 percent less than local workers of the same age and gender. This wage gap ranges from around 28 percent in Denmark, France, and Portugal to 45 percent in Italy. Within ten years, the trend is for this gap to be halved, partly because immigrants will be able to move to sectors and companies with higher wages. 

The European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, highlighted the positive aspects of regular migration at a press conference in Brussels on the occasion of the report’s presentation. “We need their talents, skills, and energy,” the commissioner said, adding, however, that we need to “properly manage” the flows and “listen to the concerns in the public debate.”