Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

CAREERS

Women earn less, are more likely to face sexism at German startups: study

While working at a German startup offers better pay than in other European countries, women don't make the same as men. And while women are prominent in leadership roles, they are more likely to face sexism than they would do abroad, a study has found.

Published: 1 November 2017 15:20 CET
Women earn less, are more likely to face sexism at German startups: study
Photo: DPA

The European Startup Report 2017, sponsored by the job listings website Joblift, found that every third executive at a German startup is a woman. Nonetheless there is a notable pay gap in the German startup scene. While women earn on average €40,087, men said they earn €44,309.

The survey, published last week, analyzed data from 32 million online job postings and conducted a representative survey among startup employees in Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands.

Around a fifth of all respondents at German startups said they had been the subject of discrimination. Over two thirds of the complaints were about sexism, with women most often saying they were the butt of sexist jokes. Some 40 percent of those who reported sexism said they had been touched inappropriately.

In no other country did as many respondents say that they had faced sexism as in Germany. While 13 percent said so in Germany, 9 percent gave this reply in the UK and France, and 7 percent agreed in the Netherlands.

Despite a gender pay gap of 11 percent, the German startup scene offers better salaries than in other countries. The survey showed that startup employees in Germany earn an average salary of €41,510, although 22 percent of all respondents said they earned less than €22,000. The average income in Germany is five percent higher than the average across all the countries in the survey.

On the downside though, startup workers have to work long hours in Germany. Respondents told the authors that they worked on average 45 hours a week, four hours more than the German average.

Analysis of 47,190 job ads posted over the past 12 months in the startup scene showed that Berlin is still very much the startup capital of Germany – 37 percent of new jobs were advertised on the Spree.

But the capital's influence seems to be slowly waning. Job adverts rose month-on-month in Cologne by 5 percent, and by 4 percent in Frankfurt, while there was no change in Berlin. And, despite talk that Berlin could overtake London as the startup capital of Europe, there were still 24 percent more jobs offered in the British metropolis.

READ ALSO: London v. Berlin: Which is better for startups?

For members

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. 

SHOW COMMENTS