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Germany ‘desperately searching’ for skilled workers to plug shortage

With immigration from the EU slowing down, the German government fears that companies will continue to see a huge shortage of skilled workers.

Germany 'desperately searching' for skilled workers to plug shortage
A trainee mechanic rolls a tire through the Volkswagen Factory near Hannover. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Julian Stratenschulte

The German Integration Commissioner, Annette Widmann-Mauz, has warned that the German economy is facing a “desperate” search for skilled labour.

In an interview with the German Editorial Network, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politicians revealed that German companies were already missing around 270,000 qualified men and women.

According to Widmann-Mauz, this at least partly due to a drop-off in skilled EU immigration, which includes craftspeople, engineers, nurses, care workers, cooks and metal workers.

“The number of additional skilled workers and workers from the EU in Germany fell by around 25 percent last year,” she said.

READ ALSO: Germany’s foreign population growth slows to ten year low

Her comments come hot on the heels of Industry Day on Tuesday, which saw politicians and business heavyweights gather in Berlin to discuss the future of German business under the slogan #ChoicingTheNew.

A wide range of German industries – including construction, food, and nursing – have come to rely heavily on a largely immigrant workforce from across the EU in recent years.

This workforce can be credited with a 0.2 percent annual growth in the German economy over the past years, Widmann-Mauz explained. 

Is the immigration law helping to attract workers?

Though Covid-19 appears to have exacerbated the problem, the German government has been attempting to close its skills gap for a number of years.

In 2019, the government penned a draft law designed to make it easier for workers with vocational skills to migrate to Germany.

The law, the Skilled Immigration Act, came into force in March 2020 – the month of the country’s first national Covid-19 lockdown.

At that point, around 30 percent of German businesses said they were impacted by labour shortages, according to the KfW-ifo Skilled Labour Barometer.

The Act sought to encourage new types of skilled immigration by widening the definition of a “qualified professional” to include immigrants with vocational training, rather than just academic qualifications. 

Qualified professionals face an easier route when migrating to Germany, with simplified visa applications and reduced red tape. 

READ ALSO: 10 things you need to know about Germany’s new law to attract skilled foreign workers

The skills gap corrected slightly in the months that followed, but then widened once again this spring.

According a recent report by KfW-ifo, 23.7 percent of German businesses reported a shortage of qualified staff in April 2021. 

“At the end of the year, the proportion should be as high as before the crisis, when GDP has once again reached pre-crisis levels,” the report warned.  

Member comments

  1. I live in Germany for almost 5 years, and still struggle a lot. Not only bringing skilled workers is important, but also keeping them. In the building that I live, I see many skilled immigrants moving to other countries or returning home, because it is too hard to adapt to Germany: the language is a barrier, public authorities don’t even try to speak English, finding schools and specially Kitas is quite hard, let alone affordable apartments (and let’s not talk about landlords trying to rip off our deposits or not fixing problems in the apartment).

    Of course, Germany has lots of opportunities, and despite everything I still love living here. However, I do see the challenges to live here as a foreigner.

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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.'

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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