Introduction

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is located in Western-Central Europe and is surrounded by 9 European countries. It is a confederation of 16 different constituent states. The capital of Germany is Berlin which is located in the Northeastern region of the country.

Economy and Business

Germany is considered a great economic power around the globe:

• World’s 5th largest economy ¹
• Europe’s largest economy ¹
• Europe’s most industrialized and populous country ²
• Famed for technological investments ²
• Prime mover of European cooperation ²
• Ease of doing business rank #17 out of 190 (2016) ³

In a recent city ranking poll for startup professionals the city of Berlin was ranked 2nd in Europe and 4th in the world. Hamburg was also ranked in the top 10 cities for startup professionals coming in at 9th.⁴

Top corporations within Germany include: Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, Siemens, BASF, Bayer, Deutsche Lufthansa, and Adidas ⁵. The top 3 international trade partners for Germany include; the United States, France and the Netherlands ⁶.

Strengths

• The country risk rating for Germany is very low ⁷. Both the political and economic situations are in very good standing.
• Additionally, the business climate rating is also rated very low ⁷ as the business environment is very strong and easy to work within.
• The unemployment rate is lower than 75.56% of all other countries (2016) ⁶.
• GDP per capita is higher than 90.10% of all other countries (2016) ⁶.
• The institutional structure in Germany promotes representativeness and consensus ⁷.

Business Market and Job Opportunities

Germany has one of the lowest unemployment rates around the world reaching a record low of 5.8% in March 2017 ⁸. There are several larger international firms but more than 90% of German companies are SME’s or small and medium-sized businesses. The country also has many larger medium-sized companies which are often global market leaders in specialized sectors ⁹.

Growing and Top Sectors⁹:

• Aerospace: The German aerospace industry is the 3rd largest in Europe
• Automotive: More than EUR 17 billion was invested in research and development in Germany’s automotive sector in 2013
• Creative Industries: Internet is the sole sales channel for 19% of all creative small businesses in Germany
• Education: Germany is one of the biggest educational markets in Europe
• Healthcare: The largest in Europe and third largest worldwide
• Information and Communications Technology (ICT): The ICT market has a turnover of EUR 150 billion and is the largest ICT market in Europe

Culture

Organization is an important part of German culture. German people hold great pride on being organized in both their professional and personal lives and strive to create and maintain a balance between the two ¹.

Although Germany prides itself on structure and organization the country also knows how to have fun and celebrate its rich culture. Oktoberfest is an annual fair that occurs in September and October in Munich, Germany.

Oktoberfest ¹⁰:

• Highlights Germany’s rich beer heritage
• Showcases traditional German attire, food, fair rides, performers
• Draws in approximately 6 million people each year
• Locally known and referred to as “die Wiesn” which loosely translates to the meadow (which is where the event is held every year)
• An important part of Bavarian culture having dated since the year 1810

Some of the most popular and influential writers, artists, musicians and philosophers in the history of Western civilization have called Germany home. That includes Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Goethe, Kant, Nietzsche, and the Brothers Grimm ¹.

The Advantage of Studying German ¹¹

German is one of the most closely related languages to English so learning the language is much easier. When you choose to study German, you give yourself the chance to connect with 200 million speakers worldwide. It is an official language in 7 European countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium and Italy.

Additionally, learning to speak German can give you an advantage in the international job market.

• German is widely used as a business and scientific language in Europe, including Russia, and parts of Asia.
• Germany is the fifth largest trading partner of the U.S.
• Germany provides approximately 2000 international scholarships and internships per year for individuals interested in studying and living in Germany.

Important Links

• Class Schedule
• SDSU Catalog 
• Academic Calendar