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Young feel brunt of age discrimination

Roughly one in five Germans believes they’ve been discriminated against because of their age – with the nation's youths feeling harder done by than its pensioners.

Published: 23 January 2012 16:49 CET

Young feel brunt of age discrimination

Photo: DPA

Christine Lüders, head of Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (ADS), said the government-sponsored survey results presented Monday show that stronger laws are necessary to fight age discrimination, although it is technically already illegal under laws such as the General Equal Treatment Act, which game into force in 2006.

“People are still discriminated against because they are too young or too old,” Lüders said, calling for an amendment to the German constitution, known as the Basic Law, to explicitly outlaw age discrimination. The Basic Law’s third article currently explicitly bans discrimination based on sex, parentage, race, language, homeland, origin, religious or political opinions and disability.

Lüders pointed to the constitutions of neighbouring countries like Switzerland, Finland and Sweden – all of which make age discrimination explicitly illegal – as models Germany should follow.

The poll of 1,502 Germans showed that discrimination may be a bigger problem in the former eastern Germany than the west, where 27 percent and 19 percent, respectively, believe they’ve been discriminated against because of their age.

About 29 percent of people between 18 and 29 believe they’ve faced age discrimination, while only only 18 of those over 60 feel that way. Eighteen percent of people between 30 and 34 and 22 percent of 45 to 59-year-olds feel they’ve been discriminated against because of their age.

The survey found broad support for treating all Germans equally when it comes to employment no matter how old they are.

When asked, for instance, whether an employer should be able to reject a younger person for a job simply because of their age, 78 percent of those surveyed said that would be inappropriate.

The Local/DPA/DAPD/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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