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Having older employees ‘better for business’

Having employees between the ages of 45 and 67 increases a business' productivity, the German government announced on Tuesday in a report examining age-equality in the workplace.

Having older employees 'better for business'
Photo: DPA

The report, which encourages mixing older and younger workers, was commissioned by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, following the decision to raise the national retirement age to 67.

Germany has become a leading force in the EU regarding age-equality in the workplace over the past decade, with the steepest rate of increase of working 60 to 64-year-olds. In 2010, the employment figure for this age bracket went up from 38.4 percent to 40.8 percent.

Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen called the increase “a considerable success,” in a statement released with the study on Tuesday.

“Soon we will have more people between 60 and 64 working than taking retirement,” she said. “Our ultimate aim is to make being employed over the age of 60 the norm.”

Experts at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), who carried out parts of the study, found that the productivity of a company increases by 0.5 percent with every percentage of the proportion of 45 to 50-year-old employees increases.

Having workers in that age bracket can even boost a company’s performance by an average of two percent, the report said.

But Michael Sommer, the head of the DGB trade union association, criticised that many older workers had precarious jobs without social benefits.

“We have 800,000 people aged between 55 and 64 who only have mini jobs,” he said after meeting with von der Leyen in Berlin on Tuesday.

The Local/DAPD/jcw

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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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