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Rösler: Germany needs top qualified immigrants

Ahead of government summit on integration of foreigners, German Economy Minister Philipp Rösler on Tuesday said the country desperately needed more skilled workers to to stave off a shortage in vital sectors of Europe's largest economy.

Published: 28 May 2013 13:48 CEST

Rösler: Germany needs top qualified immigrants

Photo: DPA

Rösler told the online edition of news magazine Der Spiegel that attracting key workers was “one of the biggest challenges for the German economy.”

Rösler, leader of the pro-business Free Democrats, once again called for the introduction of a Canadian-style points system and dual citizenship to attract skilled immigrants from outside the European Union. Such a move has been rejected by the FDP’s coalition partners, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU).

The centre-right government meets Tuesday with representatives from German industry as well as immigrant groups in Berlin. They are discussing way of better integrating foreign-born workers into the country’s labour market.

Merkel made integration a key theme of her chancellorship in 2006. But critics say that her summits on the issue produce few tangible results and are merely symbolic in nature.

The opposition Greens have called for a change in the law to make it easier for children born to non-EU immigrants to obtain dual nationality. “A welcoming atmosphere would mean an easier path to citizenship, acceptance of people with more than one nationality and that we do away with the crazy compulsion to choose which passport they want,” said Claudia Roth, Green party co-leader.

Children born to foreign parents have until the age of 23 to decide whether they want German citizenship or that of their parents.

Last year, more than a million people moved to Germany – the highest figure since 1995. Many of those came from the crisis-hit countries of southern Europe – including Spain, Italy and Greece. Germany is home to some 16 million people with an immigrant background.

DPA/The Local/gfb

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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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