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Germany loses Astra production to UK factory

Germany’s Opel factory will stop making Astra cars, owner General Motors said on Thursday, confirming rumours which have been circulating for weeks. But the US car giant said it would keep the Rüsselsheim factory operating.

Published: 17 May 2012 13:42 CEST

Germany loses Astra production to UK factory

Photo: DPA

A new agreement by British workers to work around the clock at Ellesmere Port sealed the deal to move Astra production there, while some will also be made in Poland.

When rumours emerged earlier this month that the Astra would no longer be made in Rüsselsheim, fears were high that job losses would result.

But GM said it expects to continue to use the factory near Frankfurt to full capacity, according to a story in the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung on Thursday.

Union officials speculated that if Astras were no longer made there, it might be used to make the compact Zafira van – but this could mean that the Bochum plant might close, the paper said.

Key to moving the production to the UK was the agreement by British workers to a new labour contract that requires 24-hour production seven days a week, according to Duncan Aldred, the chairman and managing director of GM’s Vauxhall Motors.

At a Thursday press conference televised on the BBC website, Aldred called the labour agreement “ground breaking” and said it would result in 700 additional jobs there with and a doubling of employment of local supply companies.

The transfer of Astra’s production is expected to be completed by 2015.

The Local/mw

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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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