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Three million long-term unemployed in Germany

More than three million of Germany's unemployed are long-term cases, new statistics revealed on Saturday. The Federal Employment Agency (BA) describes these as the "hardcore" of those on the dole.

Three million long-term unemployed in Germany
Photo: DPA

The new official figures, seen by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, showed that nearly three-quarters of the 4.33 million people who live on the unemployment benefit commonly known as Hartz IV cannot find a long-term job.

These people have little or no prospect of being “integrated into occupation or further education in the near future, and perhaps not in the long-term,” said the agency, which defines long-term unemployment as being dependent on Hartz IV for 21 out of 24 consecutive months.

This figure includes people who get short-term work or who fail to pass probation periods for new jobs. Just over half of those included are people exempted from the requirement to find a job, such as single parents of young children.

The figure also includes working people whose salaries do not cover their families’ living expenses and so receive extra state benefits.

Though unemployment has decreased overall in the past few years, the number of long-term unemployed is only sinking slowly, the paper said. BA figures show that the figure dropped from 3.27 million in 2009 to 3.03 million in August this year.

BA board member Heinrich Alt said the stats should not be regarded as completely depressing. “Admittedly there is a stubborn base of unemployment, but I wouldn’t like to call it a consolidation,” he said.

He also said that many of those living on Hartz IV have other problems to contend with, as well as unemployment, such as illness, drug addiction or debt. “That all takes time,” he said. “Successes don’t always come overnight.”

For that reason, the BA’s target is relatively modest. In 2012, the target had been to reduce long-term unemployment by 1.6 percent, and that would be met, he added.

The Local/bk

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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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