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Steel giant Thyssenkrupp to slash 20,000 jobs

Thyssenkrupp said on Friday it would slash its workforce worldwide by about 20,000 in the coming year, as the steelmaker battles with record losses and an industry in crisis.

Published: 27 November 2009 10:44 CET

Steel giant Thyssenkrupp to slash 20,000 jobs

Photo: DPA

But the CEO of Germany’s largest steel producer, Ekkehard Schulz, remained confident about the company’s future despite the massive restructuring.

“The effects of the crisis will be temporary. We will return to our long-term growth path,” he said.

“On September 30, 1999 the group had around 185,000 employees. At the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2009, it was more than 187,000 … at the end of the current fiscal year Thyssenkrupp is … expected to have around 167,000 employees,” he said.

“All the key personnel measures were decided in agreement with the employee representatives after in some cases heated discussion,” Schulz added.

Earlier this month, the group announced that it had made a record loss of €2.36 billion ($3.5 billion) in its 2008/2009 fiscal year.

The firm, which manufactures elevators, submarines and yachts in addition to making steel, said that sales in the year to September 30 had plunged by 24 percent to €40.6 billion.

Battered by the global economic crisis, steel output in Germany is set to collapse by 30 percent this year to a level last seen in 1963, sector federation WVS said in November. Slumping demand in the sector has begun to stabilise, however.

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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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