Germany should step up efforts to attract more citizens from other EU states, five million of whom have boosted the country's economy by an average of 0.2 per cent per year since 2011, the DIW economic institute said on Wednesday.

Most arrivals have been young, well qualified and active in the labour market, where they have filled many vacant positions and boosted consumer demand, it said in a study.

Migration of citizens from other EU states peaked in 2015, when the boost to German GDP was 0.3 per cent. "Without it, GDP would have expanded by just 1.2 per cent," said Marius Clemens, one of the authors of the study.

The DIW said that, given its ageing population and shortages of skilled labourers, Germany should make efforts to attract more EU migrants, particularly since they might be drawn instead to other European economies that were now expanding too.

Germany needed more pragmatic processes to recognise career qualifications of migrants from EU countries and elsewhere, and create a more welcoming environment.

More EU nationals moved to Germany between 2011 and 2016 than migrants and refugees from outside the bloc, whose arrival in record numbers has opened a bitter political divide.

Far-right groups in Germany argue that migrants are tapping into its generous social benefits without contributing to its economy.

In August, Labour Office data showed increasing numbers of non-EU migrants were also finding jobs in Germany, where unemployment has fallen to a series of record lows.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.