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Volkswagen to create 35,000 jobs in China

Germany's Volkswagen, Europe's biggest automaker, is reportedly planning to boost its workforce from 250,000 to 290,000 by 2018, with most of the new jobs to be created in China.

Published: 7 February 2011 10:14 CET

Volkswagen to create 35,000 jobs in China

Photo: DPA

Citing internal and confidential documents, the latest edition of car industry weekly Automobilwoche reported that “the number of VW employees will rise from 250,000 to 290,000 by 2018,” including 35,000 new posts in China.

Most of the new jobs – 21,000 posts – will be created in the production sector, including 400 for managers and 5,000 for engineers.

Some 4,700 new jobs will open up in the commercial and customer service divisions.

The new posts will come on top of those to be created to replace the 60,000 VW employees due to retire by 2018, Automobilwoche said.

Last month, a report said VW was considering launching a new car brand specifically designed for the booming Chinese market.

“The Chinese government has been promoting Chinese brands for some time now. In this context, joint ventures with foreign companies – such as FAW Volkswagen or SAIC Volkswagen for us – are encouraged to make a local marque,” an official with unit Volkswagen China said in a Handelsblatt report.

VW is now in talks with its Chinese partners, looking at the market for models below €8,000 ($11,000), the report said, adding that the company’s supervisory board was expected to approve the project.

VW sales in China jumped nearly 36 percent over a one-year period.

AFP/mry

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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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