Migrant integration statistics - regional labour market indicators
Data extracted: 27 May 2024.
Planned article update: June 2025.
Highlights
In 80% of regions in the EU, the unemployment rate in 2023 was higher for citizens of the other EU countries than for nationals.
In 90% of regions in the EU, the employment rate in 2023 was higher for nationals than for non-EU citizens.
This article presents regional European Union (EU) statistics for three labour market indicators: the labour force participation rate, employment rate and unemployment rate. These indicators are mainly analysed according to individuals' citizenship: information is presented for two categories of foreign citizens (citizens of other EU countries and non-EU citizens) compared with nationals. Eurostat also publishes data by country of birth, which are also presented in this article. This article forms part of an online publication on migrant integration statistics.
The information presented here for regional labour market indicators supplements a more general article that provides a range of national migrant integration statistics concerning labour market indicators. The present article goes into more detail by analysing statistics for NUTS regions.
The labour force survey (EU-LFS) is the source of data for this article. The focus of this article is the age group 20–64 years. This age group is of particular interest as it is the focus for employment analyses in the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021–2027.
Full article
Labour force participation rate
Labour market participation can be measured through the labour force participation rate. The labour force participation rate is the proportion of people in the labour force (employed or unemployed) as a percentage of the total population.
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(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfp2actrtn)
Figure 1 shows the range in regional labour force participation rates for three categories of citizenship. In 2023, these regional data were available for 16 EU countries as well as Norway and Switzerland.
- In 14 EU countries, the range was narrowest for the regional labour force participation rates of nationals. The two exceptions were Portugal (where the range was narrower for non-EU citizens) and Slovenia (where the range was narrower for citizens of other EU countries).
- In four EU countries, the range was widest for citizens of other EU countries: Greece, Sweden, Denmark and Czechia. In Slovenia, the range was widest for nationals while in Portugal ranges of the same width were observed for nationals and citizens of other EU countries. In the remaining ten EU countries, the range was widest for non-EU citizens.
- In all 16 EU countries, the highest regional labour force participation rate for citizens of other EU countries was above the highest regional labour force participation rate for nationals. For non-EU citizens a similar situation was observed in eight EU countries; among the remaining eight countries where the highest rate was lower for non-EU citizens than for nationals, the largest difference (15.0 percentage points (pp)) was in Belgium.
- The lowest regional labour force participation rates tended to be among foreign citizens. The lowest rates among citizens of other EU countries were below the lowest regional rates for nationals in ten of the EU countries; the lowest regional rates among non-EU citizens were lower than among nationals in 14 Member States.
Maps 1 and 2 are based on the same data as Figure 1 but, instead of showing the actual shares, they present, for the two foreign citizenship categories, the difference between their shares and the shares for nationals. As such, the maps show gaps, in Map 1 the gap for citizens of other EU countries (compared with nationals) and in Map 2 the gap for non-EU citizens.
Map 1: Difference between the labour force participation rates for citizens of other EU countries and the labour force participation rates for nationals, persons aged 20–64 years, by NUTS 2 regions, 2023
(pp)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfp2actrtn)
Map 2: Difference between the labour force participation rates for non-EU citizens and the labour force participation rates for nationals, persons aged 20–64 years, by NUTS 2 regions, 2023
(pp)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfp2actrtn)
Overall, non-EU citizens were less likely to be part of the EU labour force than nationals and citizens of other EU countries. In more than half of the regions (84 out of 146 with reliable data), the labour force participation rate in 2023 was higher for citizens of the other EU countries than for nationals.
- The largest gap with a higher rate for citizens of other EU countries was in Moravskoslezsko in Czechia, where the rate for nationals was 14.0 pp lower than for citizens of other EU countries. Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy was the region with no difference between the rates for citizens of other EU countries and for nationals.
- There were 61 regions where the labour force participation rate was lower for citizens of other EU countries than for nationals.
In less than 20 % of the regions (34 out of 189 with reliable data), the labour force participation rate in 2023 was higher for non-EU citizens than for nationals.
- The largest gap with higher rates for non-EU citizens was in Sardegna in Italy (17.8 pp).
- There were 154 regions where the labour force participation rate was lower for non-EU citizens than for nationals. In more than half of the regions the rate for non-EU citizens was more than 10.0 pp lower than for nationals; the largest gaps with lower labour force participation rates for non-EU citizens were in the French region of Guyane and the Dutch region of Overijssel.
- In Romania (national level) the labour force participation rates for non-EU citizens and for nationals were identical.
Figure 2 presents the labour force participation rates in 2023 for nationals (horizontal axis) against the relevant rate for each of the two categories of foreign citizens (vertical axis).
.png)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfp2actrtn)
From Figure 2 one can see the general illustration of the relationship between the regional labour force participation rates recorded for nationals and foreign citizens. Plots to the left and above the dark blue diagonal line indicate labour force participation rates that are lower for nationals, whereas plots to the right and below the dark blue line indicate labour force participation rates that are higher for nationals.
- For citizens of other EU countries (whose rates compared with the rates for nationals are shown with gold plots), many of the plots are quite close to the dark blue line. This implies that the rates for these two categories of citizenship are broadly similar, with only a few exceptions.
- For non-EU citizens (whose rates compared with the rates for nationals are shown with red plots), the plots are more widely dispersed, indicating that some regions had larger gaps. Furthermore, a large majority of these plots are to the right and below of the dark blue line, indicating a lower labour force participation rate for non-EU citizens, confirming what was observed in Map 2.
Figure 3 compares labour force participation rates in 2023 for foreign citizens with the relevant rates for foreign-born people. As for foreign citizens, a distinction is made between persons born in other EU countries and persons born in non-EU countries.
.png)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfp2actrtn) and (lfst_r_lfp2actrc)
Both sets of plots presented in Figure 3 have many plots quite close to the dark blue diagonal line. This implies that the labour force participation rates in 2023 were similar when analysed by citizenship or by country of birth.
- The plots for non-EU citizens are somewhat more dispersed than for persons born in non-EU countries (shown with red plots), particularly for regions with low labour force participation rates. In these regions, the labour force participation rates tend to be higher for people born in non-EU countries than for non-EU citizens.
- Confirming what has been observed in earlier figures and maps, most red plots that compare non-EU citizens with persons born in non-EU countries are in the lower part of the graph. This reflects lower labour force participation rates. By contrast, most gold plots that compare citizens of other EU countries with persons born in other EU countries are in the upper right part of the graph. This reflects higher labour force participation rates.
Employment rate
The employment rate is the number of employed persons (for example, someone working as an employee, self-employed or working unpaid for a family enterprise) as a percentage of the total population.
.png)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfe2emprtn)
Figure 4 shows the range in regional employment rates for the three categories of citizenship. In 2023, these regional data were available for 15 EU countries as well as Norway and Switzerland.
- In 12 EU countries, the range was narrowest for the regional employment rates of nationals. The three exceptions were Italy, where the range was narrower for non-EU citizens, Finland, where the range was narrower for citizens of other EU countries, and Slovenia, where the range was narrower for both foreign citizenship categories than the range for nationals.
- In nine EU countries, the range was widest for non-EU citizens. In five EU countries, the range was widest for citizens of other Member States.
- In ten EU countries, the highest regional employment rate for citizens of other EU countries was above the highest regional employment rate for nationals; the exceptions were Belgium, Italy, Finland and Denmark where the highest regional employment rates for citizens of other EU countries were below the highest regional employment rates for nationals. Only in Hungary the highest regional employment rate for non-EU citizens was above the highest regional employment rate for nationals.
- The lowest regional employment rates tended to be among foreign citizens. The lowest regional rates among citizens of other EU countries were below the lowest regional rates for nationals in 11 Member States; the lowest regional rates among non-EU citizens were lower than among nationals in 13 Member States except for Czechia and Slovenia.
Maps 3 and 4 show for the two foreign citizenship categories the difference between their shares and the shares for nationals. As such, the maps show gaps, in Map 3 for citizens of other EU countries and in Map 4 for non-EU citizens.
Map 3: Difference between the employment rates for citizens of other EU countries and the employment rates for nationals, persons aged 20–64 years, by NUTS 2 regions, 2023
(pp)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfe2emprtn)
Map 4: Difference between the employment rates for non-EU citizens and the employment rates for nationals, persons aged 20–64 years, by NUTS 2 regions, 2023
(pp)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfe2emprtn)
Overall, non-EU citizens were less likely to be employed than nationals and citizens of other EU countries.
In less than 40 % of the regions (53 out of 141 with reliable data), the employment rate in 2023 was higher for citizens of the other EU countries than for nationals. The largest gap with a higher rate for citizens of other EU countries was in Moravskoslezsko in Czechia, where the rate for nationals was 10.4 pp lower than for citizens of other EU countries.
- Across the remaining 87 regions where the employment rate was lower for citizens of other EU countries than for nationals, the largest gap (17.9 pp) was recorded in the Dutch region of Friesland (NL).
- In the Italian region of Campania the employment rates for citizens of other EU countries and for nationals were identical.
In one out of the eight regions (22 out of 176 with reliable data), the employment rate in 2023 was higher for non-EU citizens than for nationals; the largest gap with higher rate for non-EU citizens was observed for Sardegna in Italy.
- There were 154 regions where the employment rate was lower for non-EU citizens than for nationals. In fact, in the majority of regions (114 regions), the rate for non-EU citizens was more than 10.0 pp lower than for nationals. The largest gap with lower employment rates for non-EU citizens compared with nationals was in the French region of Guyane (38.6 pp).
Figure 5 presents the employment rates in 2023 for nationals (horizontal axis) against the relevant rate for each of the two categories of foreign citizens (vertical axis).
_05062024.png)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfe2emprtn)
Figure 5 shows the general illustration of the relationship between the regional employment rates recorded for nationals and foreign citizens. Plots to the left and above the dark blue diagonal line indicate employment rates that are lower for nationals, whereas plots to the right and below the dark blue line employment rates that are higher for nationals.
- For citizens of other EU countries compared with nationals (shown with gold plots), many of the plots are quite close to the dark blue line. This implies that the employment rates for these two categories of citizenship are broadly similar, with only a few notable exceptions.
- For non-EU citizens compared with nationals (shown with red plots), the plots are more widely dispersed, indicating that most regions had larger gaps. Furthermore, a large majority of these plots are to the right and below of the dark blue line, indicating a lower employment rate for non-EU citizens in many regions, confirming what was observed in Map 4.
Maps 5 and 6 look at non-EU citizens and the gaps (in percentage points) for each sex, calculated as the employment rate for non-EU citizens minus the employment rate for nationals.
Map 5: Difference between the employment rates for female non-EU citizens and the employment rates for female nationals, persons aged 20–64 years, by NUTS 2 regions, 2023
(pp)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfe2emprtn)
Map 6: Difference between the employment rates for male non-EU citizens and the employment rates for male nationals, persons aged 20–64 years, by NUTS 2 regions, 2023
(pp)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfe2emprtn)
The maps show that the differences between the rates analysed by sex were wider for female non-EU citizens.
In almost all the regions (119 of 128 with reliable data) in the EU, the employment rates in 2023 were lower for female non-EU citizens than for female nationals. The largest gaps of over 45.0 pp were observed in Norra Sverige (NUTS1 level) in Sweden and Hannover in Germany.
- In the remaining nine regions the employment rate was higher for female non-EU citizens than for female nationals.
In 70 % of regions (102 of 147 with reliable data), the employment rates in 2023 were lower for male non-EU citizens than for male nationals; the largest gap of over 30.0 pp was in the Dutch region of Overijssel.
- There were 45 regions where the employment rate was higher for male non-EU citizens than for male nationals. The largest gap with higher employment rate for male non-EU citizens was in Slovenian region of Vzhodna Slovenija.
Unemployment rate
The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force.
Maps 7 and 8 presented below show for the two foreign citizenship categories the difference between the unemployment rates in comparison with the unemployment rate of nationals. The maps show the gaps between unemployment rates for nationals and for citizens of other EU countries (Map 7) and non-EU citizens (Map 8).
Map 7: Difference between the unemployment rates for citizens of other EU countries and the unemployment rates for nationals, persons aged 20–64 years, by NUTS 2 regions, 2023
(pp)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfur2gan)
Map 8: Difference between the unemployment rates for non-EU citizens and the unemployment rates for nationals, persons aged 20–64 years, by NUTS 2 regions, 2023
(pp)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfur2gan)
In 80 % of regions in the EU (24 out of 30 with reliable data), the unemployment rate in 2023 was higher for citizens of the other EU countries than for nationals. The largest gap was in the Italian region of Puglia, where the rate for nationals was 13.4 pp lower than for citizens of other EU countries.
- There were six regions where the unemployment rates were lower for citizens of other EU countries than for nationals: Canarias (Spain), Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (Belgium, NUTS 1 level), Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), Cataluña (Spain), Cyprus and Luxembourg.
In all 61 regions for which data are reliable, the unemployment rates in 2023 were higher for non-EU citizens than for nationals. In 48 of these regions, the gap was at least 5.0 pp. The widest gaps were among the Spanish, Swedish and French regions.
Figure 6 plots unemployment rates in 2023 for nationals (horizontal axis) against the relevant rates for each of the two categories of foreign citizens (vertical axis).
_v3.png)
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfur2gan)
Figure 6 shows the general illustration of the relationship between the regional employment rates recorded for nationals and foreign citizens. Plots to the left and above the dark blue diagonal line indicate unemployment rates that are lower for nationals, whereas plots to the right and below the dark blue line indicate unemployment rates that are higher for nationals.
- The plots for citizens of other EU countries (whose rates compared with the rates for nationals are shown with gold plots) are generally closer to the dark blue line than the plots for non-EU citizens (whose rates compared with the rates for nationals are shown with red plots). This implies that the gap is narrower for citizens of other EU countries than for non-EU citizens.
- The unemployment rate was lower for nationals than for both of the categories of foreign citizenship in nearly all regions, with only a few exceptions as noted earlier (please note that the data presented on the graph for the two regions Ciudad de Ceuta and Ciudad de Melilla in Spain are very considerably higher for non-EU citizens but are of limited reliability).
Source data for tables and graphs
- Rates and gaps with low reliability are marked in this file with a letter 'u'.
Data sources
The data presented in this article are from the EU labour force survey (EU-LFS), the largest European household sample survey. The survey covers the resident population, defined as all people usually residing in private households. Usual residence means the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage. The data for the EU are aggregated results for the 27 Member States. For more information on the data sources used, please consult the online publication EU labour force survey.
The labour force survey only covers private households. As such, persons living in collective households are excluded from the target population. Due to the sampling nature of the survey, some data have low reliability or are not published due to very low reliability or confidentiality. Rates and gaps with low reliability are marked with a letter 'u' in the Excel file under the heading Source data for tables and graphs. The data quality table can be consulted 
here.
The regional statistics presented in this article generally refer to NUTS level 2 regions.
- Due to the lack of data with sufficient reliability for some regions, more aggregated geographical information has been included in some maps and figures, for example NUTS level 1 data or national data. All of the cases where particular regions are presented using a level of NUTS that is different from the standard one are documented in the footnotes for each map or figure.
- It should also be noted that five of the EU countries — Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Malta — are each composed of a single NUTS level 2 region according to the 2023 version of the NUTS classification.
Moreover, the graphs and maps prepared for this article present all data that are available in the Eurostat database whereas only reliable data are described in the text.
Country notes
Spain and France have assessed the attachment to the job and included in employment those who, in their reference week, had an unknown duration of absence but expected to return to the same job once health measures allow it.
Main concepts
The labour force or workforce or economically active population, includes both employed (employees and self-employed) and unemployed people.
- An employed person is someone aged 15–89 years who, during the reference week of the labour force survey, performed work – even if just for one hour a week – for pay, profit or family gain. Also included are people who were not at work but had a job or business from which they were temporarily absent (for example, due to illness, holiday, industrial dispute or education and training).
- An unemployed person is defined by Eurostat, according to the guidelines of the International Labour Organization, as someone:
- aged 15–74 years,
- not employed during the reference week according to the definition of employment,
- currently available for work,
- actively seeking work or found a job to start within a period of at most three months.
Calculation of key rates:
- the labour force participation rate is the proportion of people in the labour force (employed or unemployed) as a percentage of the total population,
- the employment rate is the number of employed persons as a percentage of the total population,
- the unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force.
Context
In November 2020, an Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021–2027 (COM(2016) 377 final) was adopted with the purpose of fostering social cohesion and building inclusive societies for all. Inclusion for all is about ensuring that all policies are accessible to and work for everyone, including migrants and EU citizens with migrant background. This plan includes actions in four sectoral areas (education and training, employment and skills, health and housing) as well as actions supporting effective integration and inclusion in all sectoral areas at the EU, Member State and regional level, with a specific attention paid to young people.
More information on the policies and legislation in force in this area can be found in an introductory article on migrant integration statistics.
Direct access to
Online publications
Methodology
- Employment - regional series (mii_emp_r)
- Activity rates (mii_act_r)
- Unemployment (mii_une_r)
- Employment and self-employment (mii_em_r)
Labour force survey
- LFS series – Detailed annual survey results (ESMS metadata file – lfsa_esms)
- EU labour force survey
- Labour force survey – methodology – main concepts
Regions
- Regional labour market statistics (reg_lmk) (ESMS metadata file – reg_lmk)
- Classification of territorial units for statistics – NUTS