Gender Gap in the Labor Market: Refugee Women Barely Benefit from Job Growth

A similar pattern can be seen among beneficiaries of subsidiary protection: here, the figure for men fell by 37.3 percent, while for women it decreased by only 0.5 percent. The gap between the genders has thus widened further, even though overall numbers are declining.

Origin Shapes the Situation

In terms of origin, just under 51 percent of those registered as unemployed are Syrian — who, of course, also represented by far the largest refugee group in recent years. In the previous year, just under 44 percent of Syrian women were unemployed, compared with only around 30.5 percent of Syrian men. Among Syrians, a particularly sharp decline of just over 21.5 percent was recorded in the number of unemployed.

The figures are even more stark for Afghans: there, almost twice as many women (36 percent) are affected by unemployment as men. The gap between the genders is therefore particularly pronounced in this group and points to specific barriers for women.

Sectors with High Employment

People from the six most important countries of origin in refugee migration mainly worked in 2025 in accommodation and food services (15,500). These are followed by retail (12,000) and the manufacture of goods (10,100). These sectors primarily offer positions involving simple tasks and often unfavorable working hours, which can make integration more difficult for women with caregiving responsibilities.

Overall, the data paint a picture of a divided development in the Austrian labor market: while the total number of unemployed refugees is falling and men in particular are benefiting from employment growth, women in nearly all groups considered are clearly lagging behind.

Barriers for Women

Labor market integration has so far been achieved primarily among men, while female refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection have hardly benefited from the positive trend. Experts see the causes, among other things, in a lack of childcare, lower German language skills, and traditional role models in the countries of origin.

The figures suggest that existing support measures reach men more strongly than women. Programs specifically tailored to female refugees — for example, with childcare, language courses running parallel to employment, and low-threshold qualification measures — are therefore gaining in importance.