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Jobless EU citizens can claim benefits – court

EU citizens who have never worked in Germany but have been living in the country for a long time can claim unemployment benefits, a court ruled on Thursday, in a decision which could affect 130,000 foreigners in Germany.

Jobless EU citizens can claim benefits - court
Photo: DPA

The ruling was made after a four-person family applied for unemployment benefit known as Hartz IV at a job centre in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia.

They were turned down but took their case to court, telling the judge that they had come to Germany to find work, but been unsuccessful and received little practical support from the job centre.

German law states that EU citizens who arrive in the country hoping to find work but fail do not have the right to unemployment benefits.

But the Gelsenkirchen state social court decided that, upon hearing the case, the family did not fall inside these criteria. They had been in Germany for over a year before applying for financial help – they had not arrived and instantly headed to the job centre.

Because Essen job centre had not put enough effort into finding the father of the family a job, they could not, the court said, deny him social support.

The family – a mother, father and two children – arrived in Germany in 2009 and have been living off child support and selling homeless magazines. The mother recently got a job but it is so low paying it means she is still entitled to state help.

This means now, that the some 130,000 Europeans looking for work in Germany could more easily get Hartz IV, the court said.

READ MORE: Minister calls for ‘poverty migrant’ crackdown

DPA/The Local/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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