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These German companies have the happiest workers

Germans picked a new company as the best place to work as last year's winner plummeted down the chart.

Published: 7 December 2016 16:44 CET
These German companies have the happiest workers
File photo: DPA.

Software company SAP is the best place to work in Germany for 2017 with a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, according to a report by job search website Glassdoor released on Wednesday.

The tech firm based in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, was described as an “great employer with many social benefits” by one employee, and it beat out last year’s winner, semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies, which fell to 11th place in the new rankings.
 
Coming in second was athletic apparel retailer Adidas with a rating of 4.3 stars, followed by engineering firm Robert Bosch at 4.2 stars.
 
Glassdoor also rated businesses in the United States, the UK, Canada and France, basing the rankings on anonymous feedback submissions from more than 2.1 million employees.
 
Employees were also asked about the advantages and disadvantages of working in each company, and whether they would recommend their employer to a friend.
 
In Germany, international professional services firms Deloitte and Accenture came in at fourth and fifth place respectively. Automotive company Daimler placed sixth, while BMW came in at number ten.
 
Shopping chains Kaufland and DM also made it into the top ten at seventh and eighth place, ahead of financial services firm Allianz at number nine.
 
The companies holding the last places on the top 25 list were Amazon.com at 24th and Deutsche Telekom at 25th.
 
And despite battling a scandal over revelations that the company sold millions of cars with emissions test cheating software, Volkswagen managed to be rated among the top 20 places to work at number 15. The review highlighted by Glassdoor stated simply: “best employer ever”.
 
Six of the top 25 were not headquartered in Germany – including Deloitte and Accenture in the top five. Roughly half of the firms were based in the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, including the top three picks.
 
Only two companies had headquarters in the capital Berlin – Deutsche Bahn and Siemens – with Siemens also having a headquarters in Munich.
 

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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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