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A third of the world wants to work in Germany

Germany is the number one non-English speaking destination for migrant workers, according to a global study. But which nationalities are keenest on Germany and where do Germans want work?

Published: 27 October 2014 12:07 CET
A third of the world wants to work in Germany
Jobseekers at the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover. Photo: DPA

Germany ranked as the fourth most popular place to work abroad globally, after the US, UK and Canada respectively. One third of the 200,000 respondents surveyed said they'd like to move to the country.

Berlin ranked as the sixth most popular city worldwide to work in, according to the study from jobsite StepStone and The Boston Consulting Group. London was in top spot, followed by New York and Paris. 

South-east Europeans showed the greatest interest in moving to Germany, particularly workers from Bosnia and Serbia.

Sixty-four percent of workers in Serbia wanted to move to Germany. In the Netherlands, that figure was 51 percent, while half of Finns wanted to make the move. 

“Germany is a magnet for international workers,” said Sebastian Dettmers from StepStone. “The economic stability, the huge number of vacancies and the good lifestyle make Germany a good option for both high- and low-skilled jobseekers.” 

Swiss magnet

The research into where people would like to work found almost two-thirds of respondents were interested in working in another country. 

 
But only 44 percent of Germans wanted to work abroad. 

Germans were keenest on Switzerland (37 percent), the US (35 percent) and the UK (33 percent).  

“For Germans who are willing to move for work, 'abroad' often means 'next door',” the report said.  

 

Why go?

The biggest reason for wanting to go abroad was not money but personal development, the study found. 

Those questioned in Germany cited living in a foreign culture as the biggest reason for wanting to leave their home country.

“German jobseekers don’t necessarily associate going abroad with getting a better job offer or more money,” the report said.

“Germans are much more likely than workers elsewhere to say that interesting job content and challenging work assignments are important to them.” 

Germans also ranked relationships with their colleagues as the most important factor in the work place.

Co-Author of the study, Rainer Strack, said: “Geographical borders have become ever more permeable in the job market. National boundaries no longer really exist for the most talented and most skilled.”

“The semi-borderless global job market gives limitless possibilities for jobseekers, for countries and for multinational companies which find it hard to find suitable candidates at the national level.”

Unsurprisingly, those from less economically developed countries were the ones most prepared to move abroad. Ninety-seven percent of respondents in Pakistan said they could imagine working in another country.

France, with its struggling economy, was also ranked highly, at 94 percent, placing it in the top five countries with workers wanting to go abroad.

The study surveyed 200,000 people from 189 countries between April and June 2014. 
 

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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.'

Published: 7 February 2024 10:54 CET
Updated: 10 February 2024 08:20 CET
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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