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Carmakers ready for record year

Despite doom and gloom in many business sectors, German car manufacturers think 2012 could be a banner year, especially in the United States.

Published: 28 December 2011 12:44 CET

Carmakers ready for record year

Photo: DPA

German companies spent 2011 aggressively trying to penetrate the ultra-competitive American market. Volkswagen even opened a new factory in Tennessee and slashed prices on popular car models in 2011.

Matthias Wissmann, head of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), told the Stuttgarter Zeitung that the US is ripe because more and more Americans need to replace their old clunkers.

American autos are between 10 and 11 years old on average, and problems in the housing and labour market don’t seem to be affecting the American need to get a new ride, he said.

But German automakers’ optimism extends around the world. Roughly one in five cars worldwide are made by German manufacturers, and they say demand continues to increase.

According to the Handelsblatt newspaper, Volkswagen has extended contracts for temporary workers who help during peak production periods at its Wolfsburg headquarters until 2013. Its subsidiary Audi, meanwhile has created 3,500 jobs worldwide in 2011, the newspaper reported.

Porsche says that its manufacturing facility in Leipzig is running around the clock to keep up with demand and the company is expecting nearly 40,000 vehicles to be produced there in 2012, which would be a new record.

Daimler, meanwhile, thinks it can sell 500,000 trucks per year by 2013. Between January and November this year, the company sold 373,000, a 15 percent increase over the same time period last year, Handelsblatt reported.

But there are some warning signs amidst all the carmaking euphoria. Some experts believe brewing price wars look likely to taper profits.

But that’s not enough to dampen enthusiasm.

“I am confident that in 2012, the market share of German manufacturers will continue to increase,” Wissmann told the Stuttgarter Zeitung.

The Local/mdm

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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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