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Magna seen cutting 4,000 Opel jobs in Germany

Canadian auto parts maker Magna will cut more than 4,000 jobs in Germany when it takes over the Opel business of struggling US auto giant General Motors, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Tuesday.

Magna seen cutting 4,000 Opel jobs in Germany
The end of the Opel-Magna love affair? Photo: DPA

Citing Magna’s strategic plan for GM’s European operations, the paper said nearly 11,000 jobs will be lost out of a total 45,730, affecting all sites and including the politically sensitive closure of the Antwerp plant in Belgium.

It said 4,116 jobs will be lost in Germany – 3,300 on the production line and 800 in administration – out of a total workforce there of 24,700. Despite the job cuts, Magna will keep open all four German Opel plants but the Bochum site will see nearly 2,200 jobs go as production is moved to Austria.

With the closure of the Antwerp plant, 2,517 workers will lose their jobs, the paper reported. Another 2,090 more will go in Spain, 1,373 in Britain at the Vauxhall brand and 437 in Poland.

Earlier this month, GM announced the sale of a majority stake in Opel to Magna and its partner, Russian state-owned lender Sberbank.

Magna was the candidate favoured by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces national elections this weekend, on the grounds it would limit job losses in Germany.

Belgium, Spain and Britain have all raised concerns that the Opel sale to Magna would see them at a disadvantage compared to Germany which has backed the deal with €4.5 billion ($6.6 billion) in state aid.

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Bavaria is no doubt a beautiful state with a strong economy, but can be a hard place for non-German speakers to integrate. The Local takes a look at job opportunities in Germany’s southeastern 'Free State.'

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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