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Germany’s unemployment rate at lowest level in nearly 30 years

Germany's jobless rate in April held steady at the lowest rate since reunification in 1990, official figures showed Tuesday, as the jobs boom in Europe's biggest economy held up despite signs of slowing growth.

Published: 30 April 2019 11:18 CEST
Germany's unemployment rate at lowest level in nearly 30 years
Construction site workers in Munich, Bavaria, which has the lowest unemployment rate in Germany. Photo: DPA
Just 4.9 percent of people were out of work in April, the Federal Labour Agency (BA) said in seasonally adjusted data, matching the March level – a historic low since Germany unified nearly 30 years ago.
 
“As spring picks up, unemployment and underemployment plummeted again in April, employment continues to increase and business demand for new employees is at a very high level,” BA chief Detlef Scheele said in a statement.
 
In absolute terms, the number of people unemployed fell by 72,000 in April, to 2,229,000.
 
 
Looking to the country's different regions, the unemployment rate for the month remains lowest in the southern states of Bavaria, at 2.8 percent, and Baden-Württemberg at 3.1 percent.
 
In comparison, the northern city of Bremen posted the national high at 9.7 percent, while capital Berlin came in second at 7.7.
 
'Labour market is ray of hope'
 

Record low jobless figures have persisted despite Berlin halving its economic growth forecast for 2019 a fortnight ago to just 0.5 percent. Economy minister Peter Altmaier had already almost halved the outlook in January, to 1.0 percent, as indicators of economic activity and business confidence fell.

 
 
“The labour market remains a ray of hope amid the clouded economic outlook,” said analyst Martin Mueller of public investment bank KfW.
 
The number of people in work “will continue to rise in the spring, albeit at a more moderate pace… this is likely to remain so over the course of the year and will probably protect the German economy from recession” by supporting domestic demand, he added.
 
Low levels of unemployment have helped keep consumer confidence stable in Germany, with a monthly poll from market research firm GfK released Tuesday steady overall despite growing pessimism about the economic outlook.

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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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