Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

JOBS

Jobless rate already seen below key three-million mark

Unemployment in Germany has already sunk well below the political and psychological milestone of 3 million people out of work – the first time it has done so in 18 years – a leading economic institute said Tuesday.

Published: 19 October 2010 08:57 CEST

Jobless rate already seen below key three-million mark

Photo: DPA

The Bonn-based Institute for the Study of Labour (IZA) estimated that the number of jobless has dropped to 2.9 million, daily Bild reported.

It would be the first time the unemployment rate has hit such a low mark since September 1992, when 2.89 million people were looking for work.

Hilmar Schneider, the institutes labour market expert, told the paper: “I expect that the unemployment rate will sink close to 2.89 million in October. The economy is simply going wonderfully at the moment.”

Schneider has based his calculation – which is more optimistic than the official figures from the Federal Labour Office (BA) – on his labour market model, which he has developed in recent years and which he says gives an accurate picture of the immediate future, using current data.

The model had proved accurate over the past two years, Bild reported.

The BA cannot confirm a drop of below 2.9 million, however. Chief Frank-Jürgen Weise plans to release latest figures at the end of this month. The BA has calculated the September jobless rate at 3.03 million.

The new figures come as Germany enjoys a strong economic boom as it recovers from its worst recession since World War II.

The Local/dw

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!