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EMPLOYMENT

No end in sight to record low unemployment

Unemployment in Germany remains at record low levels, as recovery in Europe's biggest economy remains on track and no fallout is apparent yet from the Volkswagen scandal, economists said on Thursday.

Published: 29 October 2015 11:29 CET
No end in sight to record low unemployment
A man walks into an unemployment office. Photo: DPA

The unemployment rate – which measures the jobless total against the working population as a whole – stood at 6.4 percent in September, unchanged from August, the Federal Labour Office revealed in regular monthly data.

That is the lowest level since west and east Germany reunited in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall the previous year.

In concrete terms, the number of people registered as unemployed in Germany declined by a seasonally-adjusted 5,000 to 2.788 million.

That was slightly more than the decline of 4,000 that analysts had been expecting.

In raw or unadjusted terms, the jobless total decreased by 58,800 to 2.649 million and the unemployment rate fell to 6.0 percent in October from 6.2 percent in September, the office noted.

But unemployment tends to fall in the autumn as students who have signed on for jobs over the summer holidays return to school or college or find training places.

Growth of German gross domestic product (GDP) picked up in the second quarter, the labour office said.

“The latest indicators point to similar momentum in the third quarter as well .. (and) the labour market continues to develop favourably,” it said.

Labour Minister Andrea Nahles said the data showed “the labour market continues to be stable and in good shape.”

And that was the best possible starting condition for out-of-work Germans as well as people arriving in the country to find work, Nahles said.

Refugees could start signing on

But some economists believe the headline jobless could start to rise soon as asylum seekers sign on prior to finding work.

Germany is expecting to receive between 800,000 and a million asylum seekers this year.

“Unemployment will increase modestly due to a combination of the sheer numbers of refugees and the need to raise their qualification levels first,” said IHS Global Insight analyst Timo Klein.

“Given the increased number of refugees arriving in Germany, unemployment will rise in the coming months,” agreed BayernLB economist Christiane von Berg.

At the same time, no fallout had yet materialised from the pollution-cheating scandal engulfing auto giant Volkswagen, said labour office chief Frank-Juergen Weise.

All in all, “the German labour market is strong as it enters autumn and looks set to remain robust given the solid growth rates,” said BayernLB's von Berg.

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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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