Non-immigrants in the euro area are on average better off than immigrants in terms of wages and wealth and this is valid in Cyprus as well.
In fact, the wages of immigrants are about 25% to 30% lower than those of non-immigrants, according to data released by the European Central Bank.
In the euro area in 2019, immigrants made up a substantial share of the population: around 15% of the households are immigrants, with one third of them born in another EU country and two thirds born outside the EU. This is 5 percentage points higher than in 2007 and expected to grow further.
The ECB report ‘Rich non-immigrants and poor immigrants? Why it matters for monetary policy’ also noted that these differences can cause immigrants to react differently to economic shocks and changing financial conditions.
