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Berlin squashes hopes of stimulus frenzy

The German government has warned business leaders that it cannot fulfill all the demands made ahead of negotiations for a second financial stimulus package.

Published: 2 January 2009 17:35 CET

Berlin squashes hopes of stimulus frenzy

Photo: DPA

Government spokesman Thomas Steg said on Friday that it was hardly surprising that demands were being made on all sides with only days to go before the summit between the parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing coalition. But Steg declared, “the wish-list deadline passed over a week ago.”

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Angela Merkel will meet Horst Seehofer, chairman of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), on Sunday to discuss the differences between the parties on the stimulus package. The issue of speedy tax reductions has been a source of friction within the centre-right Union in the past weeks, but CDU General Secretary Ronald Pofalla declared recently that he was confident that differences would be ironed out at this meeting.

The heads of the CDU and the CSU will then meet the leaders of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Monday to begin talks on how to stimulate the German economy in the face of a worsening recession.

The SPD favours lowering health insurance contributions rather than lowering taxes, while the four most important German trade associations are demanding a full range of reductions in taxes, social security and health insurance contributions, as well extra investments in infrastructure. The government is currently analysing what would be affordable and what would stimulate the economy.

Peter Ramsauer, the CSU’s pointman in parliament, told the business daily Handelsblatt that “a stimulus package without tax reductions would be simply wrong,” and that he wants rapid tax reductions to be agreed on by Monday. Meanwhile, SPD General Secretary Hubertus Heil told broadcaster ZDF that “investments must come first.”

Heil also renewed the SPD’s attack on Merkel’s handling of the financial crisis: “She clearly doesn’t have any ideas of her own on how to handle the economic crisis,” he told the Neue Presse newspaper. “Mrs. Merkel often orientates her political behaviour according to its public effect. It occasionally looks opportunistic.”

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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