Living and Working in Germany in 2010. A presentation given at the EURES European Job Days in Lisbon on the 21st of October.

1. Welcome
October 2010
Living and working in Germany

2. Seite 2Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Facts about Germany
 Labour Market
 Access to Labour Market
Working conditions
 Wages
 Social Security
 Taxes
Finding a job
 How to find job offers
 How to apply
Overview

3. Seite 3Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Facts about Germany
Labour market
Access to labour market
Kapitel 1 / 5

4. Seite 4Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Facts about Germany
Surface Area: 357.000 km²
Population: 81.8 Million (2009)
680.000 Immigrants (2007)
Capital Berlin
16 Federal States

5. Seite 5Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Labour Market
Unemployment Figures
August 2010
 3.188.122 (2009: - 283.391)
 7,6 % (2009: 8,3 %)
Western States:
 6,6 % (2009: 7,1 %)
Eastern States:
 11,5 % (2009: 12,8 %)

6. Seite 6Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Labour Market
Shortages of personnel in following professions:
Medical Doctors
Nurses
Hotel and Catering Specialists
 Waiters, waitresses
 Cooks
Engineers
 Mechanical E.
 Electrical E.

7. Seite 7Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Labour Market
Present surpluses in following professions:
Architects and Civil Engineers
Bachelors/Masters of Arts and Social Sciences
Geographers and Geologists
Biologists
Graduates in Business Studies
Construction Workers
Metal Workers
Unskilled Workers

8. Seite 8Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Access to labour market
Free access to labour market for citizens of
 EU member states that joined the EU before 2004
 EEA states
 Switzerland
 Malta
 Cyprus
on the basis of free European Labour Movement.

9. Seite 9Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Access to labour market
Citizens of all other states need a work permit
Basic rules for citizens of EU-states that joined the EU in 2004 or
later (except Malta and Cyprus)
 Only the employer who wants to hire a candidate can apply for the work
permit!
 For skilled workers work permit can be issued after „Priority Check“
 No „Priority Check“ for candidates with university degree
 Working conditions must comply with local standard
 After one year of legal employment in Germany permanent work permit
can be issued
Special bilateral agreements for seasonal workers and „host
workers“ from different countries exist.

10. Seite 10Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Working conditions
Wages
Social security
Taxes

11. Seite 11Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Wages
Average salary 41.509 EUR gross/year (2008)
There is no regulation about minimum wages
 Exceptions for selected branches

12. Seite 12Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Social Security
5 pillars of the Social Security System:
(Employer – Employee = 50 : 50)
rates:
Health Insurance 14,9 %
Unemployment Insurance 2,8 %
Pension 19,9 %
Long-Term Care Insurance 1,95 %
Work Accident Insurance paid by employer
For detailed information in English and French see
www.deutsche-sozialversicherung.de

13. Seite 13Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Taxes
• Income tax  14 % - 42 %
• Church tax  8 % - 9 % of income tax
• Solidarity tax  5,5 % of income tax
• Automatically deducted from employee’s salary

14. Seite 14Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Finding a job
How to find job offers
How to apply

15. Seite 15Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
How to find a job
Internet
 German Federal Employment Agency
www.arbeitsagentur.de > Jobbörse
 Company websites
 Specific websites for different branches
see www.ba-auslandsvermittlung.de)
Newspapers

16. Seite 16Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Application
Basic rules
1. Cover letter: short and precise
2. If possible, e-mail application
3. Date of birth to be mentioned in CV
4. Photo in CV
5. If a certain position is known to applicant, he/she should refer to it
6. No grammar and spelling mistakes
7. Including copies of diplomas and letters of reference from employers
Help for application process is offered:
www.bewerbungsdschungel.de
www.europass-info.de (CV)

17. Seite 17Living & working in Germany, October 2010, © Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Contact
Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung
Projekt Incoming
Villemombler Str. 76
53123 Bonn
Germany
Phone: +49 228 713 1570
e-mail: incoming@arbeitsagentur.de

18. Living and Working
in Germany
October 2010
Thank you for your attention