Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

JOBS

Merkel prepared to join Opel negotiations

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is prepared to take a personal role in the talks over the takeover of General Motors' embattled subsidiary Opel, her spokesman said on Wednesday.

Published: 12 August 2009 17:33 CEST

Merkel prepared to join Opel negotiations

Photo: DPA

“The chancellor has made it clear that she is ready, where necessary, to conduct negotiations herself. Until now, these negotiations have been led by the ministries concerned,” spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm told a regular briefing.

Wilhelm reiterated that Berlin’s preference is for a bid by Canadian auto parts maker Magna – which is backed by Russian state-owned Sberbank – over a rival bid from Brussels-based investment firm RHJ International.

While the final decision lies with GM, the German government is involved as it is set to stump up billions of euros in loan guarantees to sweeten any takeover deal in a bid to save tens of thousands of jobs.

“The situation is unchanged” as regards the situation in the negotiations between the various parties, Wilhelm added.

In late July, the authorities in Berlin said a final decision on who would win the bidding war for Opel would probably not be taken for several months. While Berlin prefers Magna because it fears RHJ would slash jobs, GM has expressed a preference for the RHJ bid.

US President Barack Obama’s administration, which holds a majority stake in GM, has said it will not get involved in the talks.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.

Url copied to clipboard!