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German industrial orders plunge

German industrial orders plunged by 25.1 percent in 2008 as the global economic slowdown hit demand in Europe, data released on Thursday by the Economy Ministry showed.

Published: 5 February 2009 18:02 CET

In December, orders taken in by the biggest European economy fell for the fourth month running, and by twice as much as expected, the data showed. “The drop in orders continues at an unchanged pace,” the ministry said in a statement. “The prospects for industrial production in the coming months is extremely subdued.”

The sharp drop was mainly the result of a drop in demand from other eurozone countries and for investment goods, or products used to make other goods.

Orders from abroad fell by nearly 28 percent over the year and domestic orders by nearly 20 percent. On a monthly basis, industrial orders plummeted by 6.9 percent in December, while analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had predicted a drop of 3.0

percent.

Industrial orders have been falling since December 2007, though they posted a rise in August.

Germany is in a recession that began in the second quarter of 2008 and is expected to last well into this year.

Dow Jones quoted a ministry spokeswoman as saying that the rate of decline in the past four months “was the strongest since Germany’s reunification” in 1990.”

In December, foreign orders fell by 9.4 percent and domestic orders were off by 4.3 percent, the ministry said. But orders from other eurozone countries plunged by 15.2 percent.

“There is no denying that the nasty recession will continue in the coming months,” said Andreas Rees of UniCredit Research, in a statement, citing the industrial data.

“The risks are rising that overall economic activity at the beginning of this year will even shrink more heavily than in the fourth quarter of 2008,” 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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