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German labour market adds more jobs

The number of unemployed in Germany fell by 110,000 to 3.5 million people in March as Europe's largest economy continued to create jobs, the Federal Labour Agency said on Tuesday.

Published: 1 April 2008 14:53 CEST

The jobless rate fell 0.2 percentage points from its level in February to 8.4 percent. Compared to March 2007 the number of jobless fell by 617,000. Adjusted for the usual rise in employment in spring, the number of people out of work fell by 55,000 – better than a fall of 40,000 forecast by economists in a survey by Thomson Financial.

The number was nonetheless weaker than the monthly average since September, when roughly 67,000 people were removed from the jobless list.

The Labour Agency itself noted that “a drop in March is normal as spring arrives, but the fall is not quite as strong as last year.”

Its president Frank-Josef Weise estimated that “employment continues to grow and business demand for labour remains strong.” Two schools of thought are currently debating the direction in which German employment is likely to go in the coming months.

Optimists lead by Economy Minister Michael Glos hope to see the country reach full employment within ten years.

The pessimistic view was demonstrated Monday by a study in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, which studied announcements concerning the creation or elimination of 100 jobs or more during the first quarter of the year. Major companies were found to have unveiled almost twice as many job cuts as creations, the newspaper found.

But its results were contested by certain economists who note that small- and medium-sized enterprises that form the backbone of German industry continue to hire without making headlines, whereas the media gives major coverage to job cuts by high-profile German companies.

“The latest figures indicate that the German labour market is on a roll – at least for the time being,” said Andreas Rees, chief German economist at UniCredit Markets. “We expect the demand for labor to be strong in the months ahead.”

“A deceleration will probably kick in only in autumn or even later this year,” he added.

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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