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IMMIGRATION

Immigrant workers ‘paid less’ than native peers

Immigrants working in Germany who come from poorer countries get paid just over half of their native colleagues' salaries, it was reported on Wednesday. Poor language skills and a lack of qualifications appeared partially to blame.

Published: 10 January 2013 07:48 CET

Immigrant workers 'paid less' than native peers

Photo: DPA

The average wage of an immigrant worker was 64 percent of a German employee, according to data collected and analysed by the Nuremberg Institute for Job Market and Career Research (IAB).

In the study containing the new figures, analysts explained that Germans were often better qualified and on average six years older than their immigrant peers.

But poor German skills often stood in the way of better pay, as did having qualifications that did not match national standards, the study said. It added that a lack of language skills often pushed newcomers to apply for jobs with low application requirements.

But hope is at hand for incoming workers, as the state-funded “Training on the Job” programme last year saw countless immigrants improve their German and gain qualifications that help them climb the career ladder.

Most commonly affected by wage disparity were people coming from Turkey and the former Yugoslavia. In comparison to them, Hungarians and Czechs did not do too badly.

The study added that Americans, Austrians, Brits and the Dutch often earn more than the German average because they often arrived with a specialist skill.

DAPD/The Local/jcw

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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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