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German jobless count ‘stable’ after recession warning

Germany's unemployment rate held close to historic lows in December, official data showed Friday, a relief after a second successive year squeaking by recession.

Published: 3 January 2020 10:14 CET

German jobless count 'stable' after recession warning

Photo: DPA

While the number of workers out of a job increased by 8,000, that was not enough to shift the jobless rate higher than its long-held 5.0 percent, the BA federal labour agency said in seasonally-adjusted figures.

Continued labour market strength has buttressed German domestic demand even
as the export-oriented industrial sector suffered the effects of US-led trade wars in recent months.

READ ALSO: Germany blames Brexit and trade wars for failing growth prospects

“The labour market again looked overwhelmingly stable at the end of the year,” said BA chief Detlef Scheele, “but signs of the weak phase for economic activity can be seen.”

In absolute figures, less indicative of underlying trends but widely used in public debate, the unemployed count grew by 47,000, to more than 2.2 million people.

Data released last month showed the first fall in German industrial employment in a decade, with the mighty car sector suffering disproportionate losses.

READ ALSO: Germany's Daimler to cut 'at least 10,000 jobs' to fund electric shift

Many industries have suffered the knock-on effects of the US-China trade war — which observers hope will be partly salved with the signing of a preliminary deal this month.

But carmarkers in particular are battling falling demand and a pricey transition to electric and connected mobility.

Several major manufacturers including Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz parent
Daimler have announced thousands of job cuts for the coming years.

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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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