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Industrial output soars

Industrial output in Germany shot up 4.0 percent in March, the Economy Ministry said Friday, one day after announcing a surprise spike in industrial orders.

Industrial output soars
Photo: DPA

The monthly rise in Europe’s top economy compared to February was far higher than the 1.8-percent rise in seasonally adjusted terms forecast by economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

In February, industrial production slipped 0.2 percent. The ministry attributed March’s sharp rise largely to the end of the bitterly cold winter, which gave the construction industry in particular a strong boost.

“With it, the recovery in industrial output continues, for the first quarter as a whole as well,” the ministry said in a statement. “In light of the robust upturn in domestic and foreign demand for industrial output, it should continue in the coming months.”

Jennifer McKeown, senior European economist at Capital Economics in London, said the fresh data were encouraging but warned that the economic revival might be more tentative than hoped.

“Note that in (the first quarter) overall, German industrial production rose at a similar rate to that seen in (the fourth quarter), suggesting that the overall economic recovery might not have resumed,” he said.

“And while growth should pick up in (the second quarter) and beyond, there is still no sign of the consumer revival that would be needed to sustain a strong recovery in Germany or boost demand for other countries’ exports.”

The Economy Ministry on Thursday announced that demand for German manufactured goods soared 5.0 percent in March driven by both domestic demand and exports, in a further glimmer of economic recovery.

After suffering its worst post-war recession, with the economy contracting by five percent last year, the German government has forecast growth of 1.4 percent in 2010.

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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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