Finding a job in Munich
February • 1st, 2021
by the Expat in the City Team

Where to search for a job in Munich
If you are a (new) expat in Munich looking for a job you might not know where to start your job search. The German process of searching and finding a new position might be slightly (or a lot!) different from what you are used to in your home country. Additionally, if you don’t master the German language yet, finding a new job could be extra challenging. It certainly is not impossible, but you have to be a little more patient and possess a good dose of determination and focus. With this article we aim to make your job search in Munich a little easier.
>> tips for finding a job from an expat in the city
The Job Market in Munich
Before you start your job search in Munich, here is some background information about the job market in the beautiful Bavarian capital in South-Germany.
Some numbers about Munich
In total Munich has 1.561.720 inhabitants (on 31.3.2020) making it the third largest city in Germany. Munich’s working population consists of 1.14 million workers, this includes both employed, self-employed and unemployed people. 897.140 people were employed subject to social security contributions.
Munich is the German city with the lowest unemployment rate. In the Munich district, around 34,700 people were unemployed on average in 2019. This corresponds to an unemployment rate of 3.3% - the lowest level in 20 years.
Due to the Corona crisis the unemployment rate in Munich is likely to increase. Hopefully this will be a temporary ‘glitch’. Munich is a wealthy city that has every chance of coming out of the crisis even stronger. Being a technology hub (8 of the 10 largest tech companies are represented in Munich) the effect of the crisis might be relatively low.
Internationals in Munich
As an expat in Munich you are part of a large international community. Did you know that in Munich 27,6% (in July 2020) is a foreigner? Another 15.5% of Munich residents have a migration background. Overall, people from 190 nations live in Munich, making it an international metropolis.
Companies in Munich
Munich counts a total of 91,200 companies and 8 of the 10 largest Tech companies worldwide are represented in Munich. These industries include:
- Information and telecommunications technology
- Automotive
- Life Sciences
- Aerospace
- Finance
- Cross-sectional technologies
- Craft
- Creative industries / media
- Company-related Services
Munich also has an ever-growing startup scene. It is one of the leading tech hubs in Germany and the location of two German digital hubs, the hub for the insurance industry and hub for mobility. Startups usually grow quickly and therefor often need qualified staff.
Munich startups are particularly international: Munich has the highest proportion of foreign founders (9.9% from other EU countries / 5.9% from non-EU countries).
Where to look for a job in Munich
It all starts with knowing what kind of job you are looking for. If you are still unclear about what you want, getting help from a (expat) career coach is a very good first step. Coaching can help you to set clear goals and steps to take to get there. Find an expat coach to help your career.
Once you have a clear idea what it is you want, and what you have to offer, it is time to start searching for job openings/ vacancies. There are several ways to find job openings in Munich.
- Find job openings through popular job portals
- Send open applications to companies in Munich (there are more tha 90.000 companies!)
- Use social media to find job openings (and share that you are looking for one)
- Check out Job board Agentur für Arbeit München
- Find job openings at startups in Munich
Job portals in Munich
Job portals are a good way to find job openings, there are quite a few in Germany that work well. The ones listed below are not specialised in international jobs or jobs in English, but you can find the job openings that require languages in addition to German amongst the available job openings listed in these German job portals. Sign up for their ‘job alerts’ to find the job openings related to your specific search.
Companies looking for talent use job portals to not only promote the job opening but also use it to position themselves as an interesting employer. So even if the job is not what you’re looking for, it can be good to scan the openings to find out about the companies out there and see which ones you would like to work for. It also gives insight into what companies in Munich are looking for in general. You'll find a lot of jobs require English, however this is often in addition to German. We know it is not what a lot of expats want to hear, but having sufficient knowledge of the German language is a real, real plus. Find a language school to get started today!
TIP: If your German is not sufficient yet, you can use Google Translate to find out what the job entails and get a feel for what German employers are looking for in general.
Popular job portals for Munich
Stepstone (you can filter for job openings in English)
Monster.de
Jobboerse.arbeitsagentur.de (you can change language to English)
Social media
A lot of companies share their vacancies through their network. It therefor makes sense to follow the companies you would like to work for on their social media channels. The other way round, it is also a good idea to let your network know you are seeking new employment. Who knows what that might bring? You never know who sees it, it could be your future colleague! I Germany both Xing.com and Linkedin.com are used for connecting with other professionals.
Open applications
Check out the list of companies listed further on in this article. Research which company suits you. If you don’t speak German yet this is a good place to start as during your research you will find out whether they are internationally oriented (is their website in English?) and if their vacancies are in English. It takes a bit of work to go through the list of companies but once you know which companies fit you, it will also be easier to follow them on LinkedIn or other social media channels to find out when they post a new job. It might be just what you are looking for.
Agentur für Arbeit München (federal employment agency Munich)
The 'Agentur fur Arbeit', also known as 'Arbeitsamt' is a federal service that connects job seekers with companies looking for employees. One of the ways to do this is through the Jobbörse (job board) where you can find many job openings. It is one of the largest job agencies in Germany, with currently more than 1.1 million job openings Germany wide. In Germany this is certainly one of the channels you should use when looking for a job.
The agency also has a website section in English full of relevant information for job seekers in Germany.
Startups in Munich
As already mentioned earlier, Munich has a vibrant, growing startup scene. The City of Munich supports this development by creating an environment where new, innovative companies can thrive.
Some examples of successful startups in Munich:
Flixmobility (Mobility)
Celonis (Big Data)
Cluno (Mobility)
Personio (HR)
Ottonova (Insurtech)
Price f(x) (Fintech)
Freeletics (Fittech)
Holidu (Traveltech)
Proglove (Wearable)
Idnow (Fintech)
If you are looking for a job in the startup scene have a look at the the job board of the Munich Startup website. As a lot of startups are very international this is a good place to start your search for an English speaking job.
https://www.munich-startup.de/pinboard/stellenangebote
https://www.deutsche-startups.de/startups-jobs/stellenangebote/
(international) Companies located in Munich
A selection of (international) companies located in Munich:
Information Technology (IT)
Apple GmbH
Atos Information Technology GmbH
Autodesk GmbH
Avnet Business Services GmbH
BT (Germany) GmbH & Co. oHG
CANCOM SE
Cegeka Deutschland GmbH
Celonis SE
Cisco Systems GmbH
ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH
Gigaset AG
Google Germany GmbH
Huawei Technologies Deutschland GmbH
IBM Deutschland GmbH
Ingram Micro Distribution GmbH
M-net Telekommunikations GmbH
Mensch und Maschine Deutschland GmbH
Microsoft Deutschland GmbH
National Instruments Germany GmbH
NEMETSCHEK SE
Nokia Solutions and Networks GmbH & Co. KG
NTT DATA Deutschland GmbH
Open Text Software GmbH
ORACLE Deutschland B.V.& Co. KG
Qualcomm Germany RFFE GmbH
salesforce.com Germany GmbH
SAP Deutschland SE & Co. KG
Tech Data GmbH & Co. oHG
Telekom Deutschland GmbH
Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG
Travian Games GmbH
Vodafone GmbH, Region Süd
Yahoo! Deutschland Services GmbH
Media
Abendzeitung München Verlags-GmbH
ARRI AG Bavaria Film GmbH
Bayerischer Rundfunk Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts
Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
Constantin Film AG
dtv Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
GRÄFE UND UNZER VERLAG GmbH
Hugendubel GmbH & Co. KG
Hubert Burda Media Holding KG
IDG Communications Media AG
Münchener Zeitungs-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
Programmdirektion Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen
ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE
RTL 2 Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG
Sky Deutschland GmbH
Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Springer Fachmedien München GmbH
Süddeutscher Verlag GmbH
The Walt Disney Company (Germany) GmbH
VERLAG C.H.BECK oHG
Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH
Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH
Food & Nutrition
Alois Dallmayr KG
AmRest Coffee Deutschland Sp. z o. o. & Co. KG
Augustiner-Bräu Wagner KG
DANONE GmbH
Develey Senf & Feinkost GmbH
Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Josef Bernbacher & Sohn GmbH & Co. KG
Käfer AG
Löwenbräu AG
Ludwig Stocker Hofpfisterei GmbH
Mars Wrigley Confectionery
Max Rischart‘s Backhaus KG
McDonald`s Deutschland LLC
Paulaner Brauerei Gruppe GmbH & Co. KGaA
Red Bull Deutschland GmbH
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu GmbH
Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München
vinzenzmurr Vertriebs GmbH
Fashion and Lifestyle
ALLUDE Gesellschaft für Entwicklung und Distribution von Modewaren mbH
Ambiente Direct GmbH
ESCADA SE
Estée Lauder Companies GmbH
Etienne Aigner AG
HALLHUBER GmbH
Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg GmbH & Co. KG
Laurèl GmbH
LODEN-FREY Verkaufshaus GmbH & Co. KG
Louis Vuitton Deutschland GmbH
MAERZ Muenchen KG
MORE & MORE GmbH
Oui Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG
Roeckl Handschuhe & Accessoires GmbH & Co. KG
Steelcase AG
TALBOT RUNHOF
Triumph International AG
Willy Bogner GmbH & Co. KGaA
Other services providers
Accenture GmbH
ADAC e.V.
Amazon EU SARL
Bain & Company Germany, Inc.
Bayerngas GmbH
BayWa AG
BRUNATA – METRONA GmbH & Co. KG
Boston Consulting Group GmbH
Capgemini Deutschland GmbH
CHECK24 Vergleichsportal GmbH
Deloitte GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Dr. Sasse AG
Edenred Deutschland GmbH
Ernst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
FlixMobility GmbH
FTI Touristik GmbH
Jochen Schweizer GmbH K
antar GmbH
KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
MAHAG GmbH
McKinsey & Company Inc.
Motel One GmbH
mydays GmbH
PAYBACK GmbH
PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Roland Berger GmbH
Scout24 AG
Sana Kliniken AG
Serviceplan Group SE & Co. KG
Sixt SE
Stadtwerke München GmbH
Studiosus Reisen München GmbH
TÜV SÜD AG