Migrants from outside the European Union who live and work within the bloc continue to face significant challenges in securing stable, permanent employment, according to the latest data from Eurostat. Over the past decade, non-EU citizens aged 20 to 64 have consistently held the highest shares of temporary contracts and part-time work among all residency groups, while nationals of the member state where they reside have the lowest.
The figures, covering the 27 EU member states, reveal that in 2025, non-EU citizens were the most likely to work part-time, at around 22%, compared to roughly 17% for nationals and 20% for EU citizens working in another member state. Temporary contracts followed a similar pattern, with non-EU workers registering the highest prevalence.
Structural Barriers and Personal Choices
Experts attribute these disparities to a mix of structural obstacles and individual preferences. Joanna Hofman, director of research and evaluation at Ipsos, told Europe in Motion that “many non-EU citizens face additional barriers in accessing stable, permanent jobs, including language barriers, non-recognition of qualifications, more limited professional networks, discrimination, and immigration-related restrictions.” She added that these factors push migrants “into more precarious forms of employment.”
However, not all non-EU workers are in temporary roles involuntarily. Hofman noted that “some migrants take seasonal or short-term work and may actively seek temporary or part-time employment because they intend to return to their home country or because this arrangement better suits their circumstances.” Still, she emphasised that “structural labour market barriers” likely explain most of the difference.
Encouragingly, the share of non-EU nationals in temporary or part-time work has declined in recent years, reaching its lowest level in 2025. This trend suggests gradual improvements in labour market integration, though significant gaps remain.
Country-Level Disparities
The data highlights stark variations across the bloc. In Cyprus, the Netherlands, and Poland, more than 40% of non-EU employees were on temporary contracts in 2025, the highest shares recorded. These countries also showed the largest gaps between non-EU workers and nationals.
Part-time employment disparities were most pronounced in the Netherlands, followed by Finland and France. In the Netherlands, the difference between non-EU citizens and nationals exceeded 10 percentage points, reflecting a labour market where flexible work arrangements are common but unevenly distributed.
Self-employment, often seen as a marker of economic integration, was highest among nationals at 13.5%, compared to 10.9% for EU citizens living abroad and 10.1% for non-EU citizens. Greece and Italy recorded particularly high shares of self-employed nationals, while Croatia and Portugal saw the highest rates among EU citizens from other member states. Hofman explained that nationals benefit from “familiarity with legal, tax and regulatory systems, as well as access to finance, professional networks and information,” while non-EU nationals face “additional legal or visa-related constraints, making self-employment less accessible.”
Gender Imbalances
Across all citizenship groups, women were significantly more likely than men to hold temporary and part-time jobs. The largest gender gaps in temporary contracts were observed in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Hofman pointed to “caring responsibilities” as a key factor, noting that “women are still more likely to balance paid work with childcare or other caring duties, which can increase the likelihood of taking temporary or more flexible jobs.” She also highlighted that women are overrepresented in sectors such as health, social care, education, and hospitality, where temporary contracts are common.
These findings underscore the intersection of migration status and gender in shaping labour market outcomes. For non-EU women, the double disadvantage of being both a migrant and a woman amplifies their exposure to precarious work.
The data comes as the EU continues to debate policies aimed at improving labour market integration for non-EU citizens, including the delayed ETIAS launch and discussions around temporary protection for certain groups, such as the German debate on revoking protection for military-age Ukrainian men. Meanwhile, broader geopolitical tensions, like those discussed at the NATO Summit in Ankara, may influence migration patterns and labour market dynamics across the continent.
