A great work-life balance, excellent transport, a preferred location for large tech companies and a social culture with Currywurst and Oktoberfest… Welcome to Germany, a country trying to make itself the first choice for workers looking to move abroad.
Germany desperately needs more skilled workers, but a major obstacle to attracting international talent is the country’s love of bureaucracy. In view of the ongoing shortage of skilled workers, you have to keep up with the times. That’s why Germany recently decided to ease labor migration for people from outside the EU and enacted new laws to attract new foreign talent.
reform on the way
The move to reform the Skilled Immigration Act (approved by the Cabinet in March) was spurred on by the fact that the country suffers from a severe skills shortage. Federal Labor and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil told the Financial Times that Germany will be short of a whopping seven million workers by 2035 if nothing is done.
Some of the skills that the country lacks are in the IT sector, which is interesting given that tech companies love Germany. Big industry leaders like Apple, Amazon and Airbnb have been tempted to set up offices there. The country is now an incubator for a number of startups alongside domestic tech giants like SAP and Zalando.
However, it has traditionally not been easy for workers from outside Europe to move to Germany. Heil is determined to change that. He fears that the skills shortage will “slow” economic growth in Germany, especially as veteran baby boomers retire in the coming years and their jobs become increasingly vacant.
To attract more overseas workers who can bring much-needed skills, he is in the process of reforming legislation. This makes it easier for foreign workers to look for a job in Germany without requiring a German professional qualification.
Take a “chance card”
Part of this new system will be what is known as an “opportunity card”. It sets the admission criteria using a point system based on factors such as professional training or degree, experience and age.
If applicants have enough points, they are allowed to look for a job in Germany. The government will issue a certain number of these cards each year.
Moving to a new country can present some challenges, but it is also an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in a different culture. In the past, Germany tended to treat people migrating to work from outside the EU as “guest workers” or “guest workers”.
But Heil says he wants to focus on making people feel welcome and included in society, rather than being treated as passing members of the community.
A few years ago, the government launched a portal called “Make it in Germany” aimed at workers from abroad. Last year, the Federal Minister of Economics appealed directly to specialists in a new YouTube video for the portal: “We need you.”
Important technology centers
With a population of 83 million, Germany is a huge country with a number of fast-growing technology hubs. But where should you base yourself if you’re moving there for a tech job?
A Deloitte study found that Munich is the most important location in the country where there are most STEM jobs and the highest degree of specialization in the ICT sector.
Berlin took second place, and Hamburg was also a highlight. But it’s not just the well-known German cities that are good options for tech jobs – the same research found that Darmstadt, a city near Frankfurt nicknamed the “City of Science,” is also a top location for tech jobs is.
Large technology groups are flocking to Germany to set up bases there. In addition to a large number of startups, you will find Zalando, Google and Facebook in Berlin; In Munich, Apple has set up its European Silicon Design Center and Amazon Web Services has offices, while Hamburg is home to Dropbox, Microsoft and Airbnb.
You can see why they are drawn to the country – it has a strong welfare system, low crime rate, good wages, excellent childcare and excellent health care. Traveling within the EU is easy due to its proximity to other European countries.
Interested? Here are three Germany-based tech jobs open to applicants now:
DevOps Engineer, Astriol Academics GmbH, Munich
This recruitment agency is looking for a DevOps Engineer (m/f/d) who would like to work in a job where “no two days are the same”. They offer the freedom to work independently and at the same time the security of an employment relationship. The ideal candidate will have a computer science degree or equivalent – see the full job listing here.
Senior IT consultant, Xenium AG, Berlin
Xenium AG is looking to strengthen its IT consulting team. The new hires should work directly with a customer in Germany or Austria. This permanent full-time position is aimed at a person who has several years of professional experience in the IT environment and can communicate fluently in German and English. More details here.
Principal Fullstack Engineer, Trusted Shops AG, Germany
This role would allow you to work from home anywhere in Germany, adding a remote touch to the job. Trusted Shops develops SaaS solutions for businesses across Europe and is seeking a highly qualified and experienced Principal Fullstack Engineer to join the team and work with one of their 13 cross-functional product teams. Find out what your day could look like here.
Check out the House of Talent job board for a full list of Germany based jobs
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