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IMMIGRATION

New law eases job market for immigrants

A new law designed to force German employers to recognize foreign qualifications passed its final hurdle in the German parliament, the Bundesrat, on Friday.

Published: 4 November 2011 13:55 CET

New law eases job market for immigrants

Photo: DPA

The law, drawn up by Education Minister Annette Schavan, means that as of March 1, 2012, immigrants have the right to have their qualifications assessed within three months. If their certificates do not match German standards, they must be informed what they need to do to close the gaps.

In a government statement, Schavan called the law “an important sign with a view to the shortage of skilled labour,” and a “milestone in integration policy.”

The law has endured an arduous process in coming to fruition. Although there was cross-party agreement that red tape had to be cut, opposition parties wanted to provide more help for foreigners than the government.

Schavan was opposed to the Social Democratic Party’s suggestion that immigrants should have the automatic right to study for further vocational qualifications in Germany. Schavan told Die Welt newspaper ahead of Friday’s vote that Germans “would rightly feel themselves discriminated against” if that were allowed.

The row briefly threatened to derail the new law, because the government coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) does not have a majority in the upper house of Germany’s parliament.

The government-affiliated Institute for Employment Research (IAB) says there are 2.8 million immigrants in Germany with qualifications, including 800,000 with university degrees. Many of them are forced to work in jobs they are over-qualified for because Germany does not recognize their academic certificates.

Many economists believe that this means Germany is depriving itself of valuable labour and expertise sorely needed in industry.

According to a government statement, up to 300,000 people could benefit directly from the law passed Friday.

DPA/The Local/bk

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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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