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Car industry must downsize, says new Green state premier

Winfried Kretschmann, set to become Germany’s first Green state premier in Baden-Württemberg, says the auto industry must produce fewer vehicles and make sure they use less fuel.

Car industry must downsize, says new Green state premier
Photo: DPA

Kretschmann, whose coalition with the centre-left Social Democratic Party will likely take power in the state home to much of Germany’s auto production next month, said he stood by his attitude that fewer cars were better than more.

“Fewer cars are of course better than more. We must sell mobility concepts in the future and not just cars. That includes walking, bicycles, cars, trains. We must join these up so well that one can travel easily and protect the environment,” he told the Bild am Sonntag.

“We want to export green products and services. We must demonstrate that prosperity is possible without destruction of natural resources. That is our special responsibility; that is why a Green is going to be state premier here. Otherwise someone else could do it.”

When asked whether the 180,000 jobs which are dependent on car production in the Stuttgart region alone would not be endangered by his policies, he said, “Quite the opposite. If the car industry does not manage to become greener, it will have no future.”

The state of Baden-Württemberg owns 46 percent of the energy company EnBW, which runs four nuclear power stations, and which warned of a drop in profits of 25 percent due to the moratorium on nuclear power announced last month.

When asked whether this concerned him, Kretschmann said, “The drop in profits does worry me, of course. It shows that EnBW has relied for too long on nuclear energy and now has to invest massively in renewable energy and cooperate with the municipal works in order to achieve long-term stable profits.”

Kretschmann was also asked about his relationship with former Green Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who now works as a consultant – and whether he had to pay for his advice.

“I did ask him for advice during the election campaign. Anything else would be remarkable from two old colleagues. His advice is valuable to me and not expensive,” he said.

When asked whether Fischer’s return to politics would help the Greens, Kretschmann said, “I would welcome it if Joschka returned to politics, but I don’t think that he wants to.”

The Local/hc

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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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