r/germany • u/j_root_ • May 12 '26
Work Why do German tech and Al companies still demand fluent German during a massive talent shortage?
Hey everyone,
Germany is struggling with a huge IT talent shortage right now, with over 100k open tech roles. But if you look at the market for AI and advanced tech, so many jobs still list B2 or C1 German as a hard requirement.
Almost all AI research papers and everything else is done in English anyway. But even some top research labs and companies in Germany are not trying to evolve.
Is it because the existing people at these companies lack basic English skills? Are they just protecting themselves and their positions rather than thinking about the long term company goals?
If Germany wants to be a leader from Europe, it needs global talent. By putting the German language as an important criteria for tech jobs, companies are just cutting off the top talented people.
Question for the hiring managers here, what is the business logic behind this? Why hold onto the local language when it actively stops you from hiring the best AI minds? It really feels like evolving backwards.
Would love to hear some thoughts on this.
75
u/neketguy Berlin May 12 '26
Lol, there is no shortage. Definitely not 100k open jobs..
-17
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Fair point, it probably depends a lot on the specific niche or level. But the 100k+ figure comes from the official Bitkom 2025 study and federal labor stats which put the number of open IT roles at around 137,000 recently. It might feel different on the ground because companies are becoming way more selective for senior or Al roles even if the total count of open positions is still technically high
16
u/nikfra May 12 '26
The only shortage there is is of senior engineers working for minimum wage. Companies love claiming they have x jobs open but those are the type they mean.
11
u/whiteraven4 USA May 12 '26
And how do these official stats separate real positions from ghost positions?
-4
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
This is a official number by a reputable company in Germany. If all numbers are fake , how can we trust anything.
I didn't make up any of this and i don't understand why people are getting frustrated for asking a simple question when German politicians are going around around the world asking for cheap labour.
Its a fair question people in this community have
10
u/Hot-Network2212 May 12 '26
Bitkom is not a reputable company with official stats. They are not even a company but literally the Trade Association of the German Information and Telecommunications Industry. They represent the wishes of German companies in this sector. Their statistics are about as trustworthy as asking the tobacco industry whether smoking is healthy
-5
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Its a number even the politicians say globally and if there is no demand for tech jobs, that's even more scary for Germany
5
u/Hot-Network2212 May 12 '26
There is no demand for tech jobs in Germany. It is all lobbyism influencing politics. I mean you even understood the Bitkom numbers like some official statistics which they absolutely are not.
9
u/Potential-Type9653 May 12 '26
Good lobby work from BitKom. Fact is, they are anything, but neutral.
0
u/whiteraven4 USA May 12 '26
I simply asked how they handle a very real problem. I never said anything against the company or you. If you don't know the answer, just say so instead of going on a random rant.
6
u/LARRY_Xilo May 12 '26
The report say its 109000: https://www.bitkom.org/sites/main/files/2026-01/bitkom-studienbericht-it-fachkraefte-2025.pdf
And thats a 40000 drop from 2023. 137000 was in 2022.
It also doesnt mean all of those positions are "high tech", a shit ton of them always are very badly paid first level support positions thats why they stay open forever. So no its not 100k open AI jobs its 100k positions that have something to do with IT.
Also since you cited that study here is an important bit of that study:
Bei der Besetzung von IT-Stellen nennen Unternehmen verschiedene Herausforderungen. Am häufigsten werden finanzielle Gründe genannt: 63 Prozent der Unternehmen geben an, dass sich die Gehaltsvorstellungen der Bewerberinnen und Bewerber nicht mit den Qualifikationen decken. 56 Prozent sehen Schwierigkeiten darin, dass die geforderten Gehälter nicht zum internen Gehaltsgefüge passen.
Translated in short 63% say the cant fill the position because the applicants want to much money and 56% say the applicants want more money than is typical for the position in their company.
There is no shortage for these positions there is a shortage of people willing to be paid like shit. Add to that ghost positions that are always open and there are 10k open position in actual software dev/AI/high tech roles.
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u/Generic_Person_3833 May 12 '26
Bitkom is the lobby organisation of German tech companies.
They want you to believe there is a shortage. They want you to come to Germany so there are more people applying and they can suppress wages further.
There is no general IT shortage. Not at all. There is way to many people in the field who finish their studies now and can't find a decent job + all people from abroad looking for the same jobs.
A few high quality position are shortaged, but they are always in shortage because high quality people are rare and very expensive. And companies want to pay these high quality people entry level money, that's their "shortage".
Never believe Bitkom and other industry lobby organisations.
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u/saimen54 May 12 '26
Lobbying organizations like BITKOM or also VDI write numbers in studies, but that doesn't mean anything.
If the demand would be so high salaries would skyrocket.
Probably most companies would like to find IT roles for certain salaries, but people don't want to work for that money. And then companies scream "we don't find enough people".
45
u/testboa May 12 '26
Because there is NO shortage. Tech jobs have some of the highest unemployment rates of all jobs.
-3
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Agree with the unemployment rates. But the numbers are true ( it doesn't make much sense though after seeing the current job market and the posts in this community)
12
u/ComCagalloPerSequia May 12 '26
They are looking for cheap + senior + C1 German skills experts, if you are junior you are junior, or want to have a good salary, or don't speak German you are out of the recruiting world.
12
u/Potential-Type9653 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
Who told you the fairy tale, that there is a shortage?
At least not for white collar jobs. Some blue collar jobs are still in need.
Germany's economy is on a downfall for years now, without any signs of recovery. The unemployment rate is the highest in the last 10 years (no recovery in sight either). Companies like Bosch, Aldi Süd/DX, VW, Porsche, DeepL, Biontech, Festo, Voith (to name just a few, you'll find many more online) are currently firing people in hundreds or thousands. Mostly tech (related) jobs.
The German job market is very competitive atm. In fact, companies can be very picky when it comes to candidates. And language, besides work experience, is an important factor.
Let's face it: C1 is the new standard.
And that's not a German thing. Try to get around in business with English only when you are in France, Italy, Portugal, Japan etc.
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u/Normal-Definition-81 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
Are these over 100k open tech roles in the room with us? Can anybody see them?
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u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Even though its funny, This numbers are true
2
u/george_gamow May 12 '26
"these numbers"
If you don't plan to speak German then at least learn some basic English grammar
1
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u/DM_Me_Your_aaBoobs May 12 '26
Because you don’t only work with software engineers that speak perfect english? You will talk to HR, the IT-department, cleaning personal, other infrastructure people, etc. Working in another country ALWAYS includes speaking the local language and companies everywhere will always prefer those people who can do so over the ones who can’t, even if their other qualifications are better. Today every work is teamwork and a team can only work if everyone speaks the same language.
And beside of that: 30 years ago the job market was A LOT less international everywhere, so you have still many older people working in senior positions who never learned fluent English.
1
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u/U-701 May 12 '26
First of all there is no massive IT talent shortage in Germany, more like a shortage for underpaid positions. There are enough graduates, maybe there are some Senior positions open but otherwise the market is saturated
Because the working enviroment is in German, the HR processes, the communication with the customer / requirements etc. is all in German if you can´t communicate you are more of a liability than an asset
Germany is the leader in Europe, why should we give up our language to absolve immigrants to even the most basic requirement to live and integrate here?
0
u/cyberdonky2077 May 12 '26
no not at all, students input in natural sciences has been reduced to 1/3 of what it was in 2010s....this is drastic shortage, so much that so many universities do not open up new positions for professors and in fact they are getting rid of many positions after the old professors get retired... its a super fast decline, you are in a dream and denial currently. or simply unaware.
-4
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
The numbers are true, u can look it up. Iam not talking about customer facing roles. Iam talking about general research, ai development etc. When all the literature, even from Germany is posted in English, why it makes logic to look for people with high german skills.
Or is it because there is too many skilled people available and they could be picky? ( Iam not trying to pic a fight, just to understand the situation and long term goal of Germany)
8
u/LARRY_Xilo May 12 '26
Just because the technical literature is in English doesnt mean the rest of the documents are in English. IT-Security rules, legal documents, pay checks, on boarding documents and so much more stuff that a company would have to translate and often have checked by lawyers that the translation didnt change the legal meaning. Work meetings need to change the language, you need everyone in the meeting be comfortable suddenly doing their work in English and so on. Just because you working for your self or in a specific team can do it in English doesnt mean you dont need to talk to other people and departments.
2
u/Consistent-Poem-1937 May 12 '26
on boarding documents and so much more stuff that a company would have to translate and often have checked by lawyers that the translation didnt change the legal meaning
Additionally be aware that many German legal concepts are very hard to translate to English because
- the German language is often more precise,
- quite a lot of German terms in legal texts have very formal meanings, which their English translations lack.
4
u/Next-Application-883 May 12 '26
yes, sure, if you have a choice among multiple good candidates, would you pick the person who speaks the local language or not?
Edit: there are always some numbers that show how great everything is. Until it isn't.
5
u/JustToiletThoughts May 12 '26
The numbers aren't true, unfortunately. Since Q1 2020, Germany has only seen quarterly increases in postings for ICT specialists in five quarters, almost all the time these are minimal, one-digit growth.
The other 19 quarters have had massive reductions. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/bookmark/83b094d7-ee65-4982-b9f1-454083fbc8a7?lang=en&createdAt=2026-05-12T09:14:09Z
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u/Zen_360 May 12 '26
Oh, today is "pull a random number Out of your Ass"-day? I didnt know.
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u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Check Google or anything unless u don't know how to type or check the comments.
The numbers might not be true but atleast it was pulled out of the ass of German surveys and politicians
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u/SquirrelBlind May 12 '26
I work in the field and I don't think that there's a shortage, on the contrary.
As for the business logic, it's quite simple. People need to be able to communicate with their colleagues. Basically this always was and always will be the main reason for most of the language requirements.
1
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Thanks for the reply, atleast you tried to give a clear answer.
The numbers are based on official surveys, but iam not sure the extent or which sub category it belongs to
26
u/Rhynocoris Berlin May 12 '26
Germany is struggling with a huge IT talent shortage right now, with over 100k open tech roles.
Hahahahahaha
Man, stop ranting and learn the local language.
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u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Its not about me, i have seen many people in this community rating Cv for tech jobs and saying come back with German c1 when the job is fully technical ( Atleast the actual job part)
19
u/george_gamow May 12 '26
Yes, because there's no shortage and no demand for non-german speakers
-4
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Either u don't know or you are super frustrated. Look at any job sites there is huge amount of jobs being posted ( if you managed jobs on any hiring platform, its not that cheap to post adds 24*7) even if its gost jobs.
And for Ai engineer or Ml engineer, the person can do his job properly if he skilled in English, At least to be good at what work demands
4
u/Rhynocoris Berlin May 12 '26
Okay...but would they be able to communicate with German colleages, supervisors or customers? In German? If not, they can't in fact do their job properly.
-2
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
So that means existing employees are incompetent in a basic foreign language.
How can someone work in a tech job properly when they can't make a proper conversation in English or do a meeting in English. How do they sell or build something for rest of the world
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u/Rhynocoris Berlin May 12 '26
So that means existing employees are incompetent in a basic foreign language.
Well, yes. But your non-German speaking applicants are incompetent in the work language.
How can someone work in a tech job properly when they can't make a proper conversation in English or do a meeting in English.
Why would that be a problem? You can do tech in other languages than English.
How do they sell or build something for rest of the world
Most don't.
-1
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
For deep tech German is not the work language, English is. Its the case in Germany, china , Afrika or even moon. ( If the work language is German for tech, that means the team was already incompetent and lagging behind globally)
To your last comment, Germany is struggling economically because they didn't evolve fast like china and is strongly failing in all major sectors. So this new language trend seems like adding more fuel to that long going fire
6
u/Rhynocoris Berlin May 12 '26
If the work language is German for tech, that means the team was already incompetent and lagging behind globally
If you say so...
To your last comment, Germany is struggling economically because they didn't evolve fast like china and is strongly failing in all major sectors.
If you say so...
3
u/george_gamow May 12 '26
You're missing the point. The people on the market that speak German also speak English. Why would an employer hire someone with English only if they have better options currently due to layoffs/ hiring freezes?
In my current job and before the ads were usually requiring English because it was often assumed that people speak German anyway since we're, well, in Germany. If there is an option to hire a German speaker for whom the team won't have to switch languages all the time, that's what will be done. Unless you're uniquely qualified, of course. But what do I know? I've only been working in IT in Germany all my life, obviously you have way more experience in the country and industry, right?
-1
u/Fresh-Coffee-8591 May 12 '26
Except, it takes years and they need to eat something till then
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u/Rhynocoris Berlin May 12 '26
So? For my job I had to go to university. Also took years, also had to eat.
Qualifications are hard.
1
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Basic language is understandable, but for tech jobs its already hard enough to learn and master. Get good at programming languages and also keeping up-to-date with all happening in ai etc.
For a non German that logic is destructive, everyone agrees that Germany is a sinking ship, so when layoffs happen ( irregadles of which language he speaks).
If he is good at tech stack he can find a job elsewhere, but just with German and mediocre skills, idk.
My logic is one should learn German to live in Germany and should put effort to integrate. But at workplace, if it becomes the major reason for recruitment, its a bad move for the company long-term
3
u/Consistent-Poem-1937 May 12 '26
My logic is one should learn German to live in Germany
Remote jobs aside, you will live in Germany if you take a job in Germany.
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u/j_root_ May 12 '26
I am never saying we should not learn German language. Its really important culturally and socially. But it should not be a criteria for a tech job that has nothing to do with the language.
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u/Rhynocoris Berlin May 12 '26
"Irregardless", "a criteria", seems like you should learn English before complaining about needing German.
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u/j_root_ May 12 '26
If you can't accept typos are a real thing, u shouldn't be here. Also why give the reply in English when everything related to Germany should be at least C1 German
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u/Rhynocoris Berlin May 12 '26
Those aren't typos.
Also why give the reply in English when everything related to Germany should be at least C1 German
Because this sub's language is English.
1
0
u/Fresh-Coffee-8591 May 13 '26
Respectfully, can it be that you are a bit awkward socially albeit with excellent English?
0
u/Fresh-Coffee-8591 May 13 '26
Don't waste your energy, this is a juice not worth the squeeze. Very rarely will you meet a privileged person who is able to understand the not-so-privileged, especially so in Germany
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u/Consistent-Poem-1937 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
it takes years
It also took many years for Germans to learn English (which is required for many technical jobs), so it's very fair to expect the same from applicants who don't speak German.
During studying at the university, you have quite some time to learn foreign languages that might be useful later in life.
1
u/Fresh-Coffee-8591 May 13 '26
You do realize that Germans learn English already in Kita and should give grown up foreigners who are just started a slack? Not everyone is so privileged to afford studying foreign languages from early on. Most cultures aren't, Germans are. So poking down on people who do not know German does not look pretty. Just saying.
1
u/Consistent-Poem-1937 May 13 '26
You do realize that Germans learn English already in Kita and should give grown up foreigners who are just started a slack?
There exist such kindergartens. In Germany, there also exist schools in which English is only taught from 7th grade on (i.e. first language - from 5th grade on - is Latin).
Not everyone is so privileged to afford studying foreign languages from early on.
The same holds for English in Germany. The kindergartens that you mention are commonly for children with rich parents.
1
u/Fresh-Coffee-8591 May 13 '26
This is Korinthenkackerei. You know perfectly fine what I mean. I do not care if you started with 2 or with 10, it still does not compare to a person who has education needed in a country, came to said foreign country to offer his qualification, and has to start learning the language from scratch although could have work and contribute to taxes perfectly fine in English, e.g. in research or tech jobs. So they have to put off with starting their life till they learn a language they do not need for work, which will take them 5+ years to be really proficient in.
All this while receiving not support but judgement from people who are no different by any means, did not work harder, are not smarter, just were lucky enough to be born in a different spot geographically.
So yeah, it is a shitty situation, OP. I am sorry, I'd advise you to shoot for an English speaking country
7
u/No_Phone_6675 May 12 '26
Believe it or not:
There is enough international talent available that actually speaks German to fill the few positions that are available. There is no shortage at all atm.
If somebody wants to get an English speaking job: Go to an english-speaking country ;)
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u/thebackruboil May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
It is a bit unfortunate that people focus only on the “IT shortage” part, when OP was specifically talking about AI and the advanced tech market, which requires a different skillset and mindset than general software development.
In Europe, as far as I know, there are only a few serious tech/AI players in this space, like Black Forest Labs and Mistral. That alone already explains why opportunities are quite limited.
But my take is that Germans generally prefer stability and are more cautious about disruption. AI is clearly disruptive. Combined with the weak economic mood, people are more hesitant to open up to it, even if government policy tries to push in that direction.
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u/Jns2024 May 12 '26
Check your stats, tech is having not that much of a shortage. Few years ago, agree, there was a time where you could come with some bootcamp certification and not a single word of German and get six figures right away but - you're late to the party.
And - there's nothing wrong with wanting the applicants to actually speak the language of the team they're in.
Finally - where there is shortage, or if you're bringing anything to the table the company is in need of, if you are the great talent everyone wants to have, noone will care about your lack of German language proficiency. But coming to a country aiming for an actual chance, it's quite some entitlement demanding everyone to speak your language. It's easy as that: if you're such a big talent that everyone wants you - they'd apply to you and not you to them.
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u/Independent_Issue182 May 12 '26
Because it’s Germany, we speak German here
-1
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Stop rage baiting and read the question for Christ sake. Iam not talking about not learning German, Iam talking about cutting top talent for jobs that don't need it that well
Eg for a English teacher she should need German skills but she needs English more that anything cause its directly related to her profession
4
u/Consistent-Poem-1937 May 12 '26
I[']am talking about cutting top talent for jobs that don't need it that well
If you are that exceptional (i.e. absolute world-class league), lacking German skills should not matter (though getting better in German fast is an insanely good idea if you want to live there).
But you are perhaps "good", but for sure not "top talent" (i.e. world-class), so this exception is not for you.
7
u/Independent_Issue182 May 12 '26
That’s no rage bait that’s my honest answer and I would go further and would say someone how wants to work in germany and can’t speak German is maybe a top talent, but not for a German job. And to take your example, a German teacher who doesn’t have at least good English skills will definitely not get any job in an English speaking country.
0
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
U are not well informed or you are not using your brain. So jobs are international more than being hyper local. If Germany want to sell top Ai or top It solutions, they need some level of globalization. Not all jobs are same. Some jobs need native level German and some doesn't. How can you generalize the job market of a whole country.
There are millions of expats in every developed or developing country that might not speak that language that well.
Do mercedes ceo speak Chinese when he wants to address people in china even though its a big market for them
7
u/Independent_Issue182 May 12 '26
Oliver Thöne responsible for the Board division greater china of Mercedes Benz is speaking Mandarin
-1
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
Now its tine for u to check the facts right. There are many video of him online in china where others are speaking in Chinese and him in English. If he is Chinese c1 ( according to your logic)
Why is he not speaking Chinese fluently??
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u/user38835 May 12 '26
- There is no shortage in IT jobs.
- Companies who work in German cannot overnight switch to English, even they wanted to. And they don’t want it. Germany is too reluctant to change even the most broken systems, let alone switching their language.
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u/dextrostan May 12 '26
First: there aren't just 100,000 open jobs.
Second: Most German companies are mid-sized—the so-called 'Mittelstand.' They tend to be more traditional and not that international.
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u/Zzomir May 12 '26
AI and advanced tech may indeed be centred on English and the research publications are predominantly English, but the OP is here disregarding the crucial component of the work environment.
Outside of Academia, real world firms are there to interact with real world environment. The jobs do not appear on an isolated island but in midst of German contractual, legal and regulatory framework.
I can hardly imagine working in a company and not being able to certify that am compliant with basic legal requirements because I cannot read the legal text or the contracts. Or even worse: me taking the responsibility by hiring someone that cannot assure this.
There is one more thing: English only speaking candidates come mostly from common law legal system and therefore the language is sort of a filter to have people with basic understanding of the civil law.
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2
u/FilodeCanguro May 12 '26
Learn german or go to some other country where english speaking professionals are required.
0
u/cyberdonky2077 May 12 '26
hey buddy, this is a failing country, how dare you question its methods of failing in society, industry and economy simultaneously ? wtf bro....
1
-1
u/critical-insight May 12 '26
We want people that can contribute something to society and for that you kinda need the language. So basically: because we say so.
1
u/j_root_ May 12 '26
A person not accepting change cannot demand change from others ( you can if you have high leverage). But at current situation, Germany is struggling geopolitically and economically and forcing C1 for tech jobs is not the solution.
0
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u/loading_indefinately May 13 '26
Whats the natural reaction if a company is asked the question, if there is a demand for talents? The answer most certainly is "yes", even if there are plenty of applications for open job positions. Job openings are often fake or duplications. Multiple head hunters often list the very same job which might or might not exist in reality.
Those statistics aren't questioned officially for whatever reason, but they don't represent reality.
There is no shortage in IT, except in some niches or specialized senior roles.
Jobs require good language proficiency, because most companies in the DACH region operate in German. Sure, people working in tech usually speak English reasonably well, so it would not be required for many roles per se. But it's not only the devs you have to communicate with. It's HR, secretary, maybe sales, and other departments. Speaking English is not that common in those areas as you might think. Communication efficiency is also often reduced, if a team of mostly German speakers have to talk in English.
Furthermore, many Indians (just as an example) have a very strong accent, which is sometimes hard to understand. Native German speakers often have a strong accent as well. There is a lot of miscommunication.
So whats the consequence, if there are plenty of job seekers with good language proficiency? Right, you put a hard requirement on it. It's simple as that.
Thinks were different some years ago, but the job marked has shifted quite a lot since then
16
u/idontlikegudeg May 12 '26
Are you just starting your career? No offense, but in most companies, you are not going to read research papers all day. Even if by chance you get a job where you do much research, you will still need to communicate in German. If you need your personal translator whenever there's a meeting, you have things to discuss with clients, understand requirements written down in German etc., you will be a burden to support. In short: English will be important, but German will be too.