The first part of the article briefly covers the history of immigration to France, social conflicts associated with migrants, and the results of French research on discrimination of immigrants in employment. In spite of the high unemployment rate, compared with other European Union countries, France remains one of the centres of migration and receives a significant number of migrants and refugees every year. The origins of immigration to France go back to the mid-19th century. Initially, it was mainly for political reasons, in order to find a job or receive an education. Between the First and the Second World Wars, France accepted both political (e.g. from Russia, Germany and Spain) and labour migrants (from Africa and Indo-China). After World War II, the French government actively invited labour migrants from the French colonies, primarily, from North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco). When the Algerian War ended, the Harkis – Algerians who served in the French Army – found refuge in France. By the late 1960s, the Moroccan and Tunisian communities were formed. Up to the 1980s, labour migration was predominant. However, with time, the share of refugees and those who wanted to move to France with their families started to increase. This caused a growing social and political tension in French society resulting in conflicts (e.g. the 2005 riots in Paris). Moreover, the numerous terrorist attacks and the migration crisis of 2014–2016 had a particularly negative impact on the attitude towards migrants. All these issues have to a certain extent affected the employment of the Muslim population in France.

In the second part of the article, the authors focus on the employment of Muslim migrants in France over the last 15 years. It is noted that modern France needs labour migrants, especially qualified technical personnel. However, when applying for a job, Muslim migrants face discrimination, language and cultural barriers, requirements to confirm their education and qualification documents, as well as other issues. Employment of these people often depends on their family and friends’ help. The article focuses on the analysis of the jobs taken by Muslim migrants and sectors they are employed in using the statistics for Paris. The research allowed us to specify the Muslim migrants’ employment level (slightly exceeding 50 %) and fields of work, as well as the most common occupation groups (workers and employees). The study demonstrates that the share of Muslim migrants in prestigious occupation groups is much smaller than that of other migrants and French people. Research and experiments conducted in 2006, 2009, 2015 and 2017 revealed that Muslim migrants face problems and restrictions when applying for jobs. Primarily, they are discriminated against due to their Islamic religion, nationality, poor French language skills, living in disadvantaged areas dominated by migrants from Muslim countries, and other reasons. The authors conclude that in France, migrants of Muslim origin are being discriminated against when trying to get employed (even though the majority of French people condemn any form of discrimination) and restricted in their access to senior positions, intellectual jobs and education.