Engineering Labour Force In Germany - Alberta

EngineeringLabour Forcein GermanyEngineering Labour ForceWhat Employers Need to KnowRates of PayWhere to Recruit1

Engineers educated in Germany are likely to speak English, althoughproficiency levels will vary according to an individual’s level of postsecondary education and professional need to maintain English skills.EngineeringLabourForceGermany is home to Europe’s largest engineeringlabour force, with more than 1.94 million workersin engineering-related occupations: there are aboutone million engineers, 926,000 technologists andtechnicians and 18,000 geologists.Germany has the second-highest number ofengineering workers per capita of any countryin Europe (behind Finland); engineering workersrepresented about 4.7 per cent of the Germanlabour force in 2010, which is higher than that ofAlberta at about 4.1 per cent in 2006.Germany has one of the oldest engineering-relatedworkforces in Europe. Fewer than a quarter ofengineers are under the age of 35 (compared with29 per cent in the U.K., 32 per cent in France and49 per cent in Ireland). The German engineeringlabour force has been shaped by a lowerpercentage of young workers choosing to entercareers in engineering-related fields.1UnemploymentDuring the 2007–2009 economic crisis, theGerman economy outperformed those of otherEuropean nations. Unemployment in Germany hasbeen declining, dropping from a high of almost 12per cent in 2005 to about seven per cent in thesummer of 2011. Unemployment rates amongengineers have followed a similar pattern, withsustained declines in unemployment for more thana decade. As of 2009, the unemployment rate forengineers in Germany was 3.6 per cent, down from8.6 per cent in 2005. (See Figure 1.)See VDI Annual Report, 2010.See www.vdi.de/41790.0.html.121English LanguageEngineers educated in Germany are likely tospeak English, although proficiency levels willvary according to an individual’s level of postsecondary education and professional need tomaintain English skills. In Germany, English istaught from the fifth grade through the end ofsecondary education. During university, engineeringstudents continue to learn English and a portion ofcoursework includes technical lectures in English.Students are encouraged (though not required) tostudy in a foreign country for at least one semester,and are encouraged to use English during studyand in writing their bachelor’s or master’s thesis.By comparison, those who work as engineeringtechnologists or technicians are somewhat lesslikely to be fluent in English. Alberta employers mayfind it difficult to locate workers in these categorieswhose English skills are sufficient to qualify themfor certification with the Association of Science andEngineering Technology Professionals of Alberta(ASET).Likelihood of ImmigratingRecently, Germany has seen a shortage ofengineers and engineering-related workers.Engineer Monitor,2 a monthly labour marketpublication produced by the largest nationalGerman engineering association, Verein DeutscherIngenieure (The Association of German Engineers,or VDI), reported in June 2011 that the numberof vacant positions for engineers in Germany hadreached a record high of 76,400, the highest sincerecord keeping began in 2000.

There are ample career opportunities forengineering workers in Germany and few economicreasons for them to seek work abroad, althoughthe 2010 Joint Study of Engineers reported thatlow levels of job satisfaction may motivate some tochange employers. The study found that Germanengineers place the greatest value on their workenvironment, followed by their level of interest intheir work and the work-life balance offered bythe employer. Few said they viewed salary as animportant factor when selecting an employer (seeFigure 2).3Figure 1.UnemploymentRates AmongEngineers inGermany,1997–2009Source: VDI Engineer Monitor.Foreign workers are more likely to migrateinternationally, having done so before, and thoseworkers represented 5 per cent of the Germanengineering labour force in 2010. Non-EU citizensrepresented about 3 per cent of the engineeringworkforce. Statistics from the Federal EmploymentAgency reveal that in engineering-relatedoccupations, foreign workers represent a higherportion of the employed labour force for chemicalengineers (7.9 per cent), electrical engineers (5.4per cent) and mining and metallurgical engineers(5.2 per cent).418161412Total-Engineers10Mechanical Engineers8Electrical andElectronics Engineers6Civil Engineers andArchitects4Other Engineers0Figure 2.PositiveFeatures of aCompany asReported byEngineers 00720082009268%Work Environment65%Interesting Work54%Work-Life Balance51%Greater Responsibility48%Gain Knowledge43%Job Security30%LocalitySource: 2010 Joint Surveyof Engineers, VDI.27%Remuneration0%10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%Share of EngineersSee 2010 Joint Study of Engineers (U.K., France, Germany).Note: Figures from the Federal Employment Agency exclude contract workers, self-employed individualsand unemployed workers.342

WhatEmployersNeed toKnowAlberta employers who want to recruit engineeringworkers in Germany are advised to use the termsand titles for specific occupations. (See Table 2.)Engineers and GeoscientistsAccording to Alberta law, to practice engineering,geology or geophysics independently in Alberta,a worker must be licensed by the Associationof Professional Engineers and Geoscientists ofAlberta (APEGA). Unlicensed workers may practiceengineering, but only under the supervisionof a licensed engineer. Similar rules apply tointernationally educated engineers. They may bepermitted to work in Alberta without a license,provided that they work under the supervision ofa licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng). In orderto practice engineering, geology or geophysicsindependently, internationally educated workersmust have their credentials evaluated by APEGAto determine whether or not they meet therequirements for licensure.Regardless of academic background, all foreignapplicants must:1. Take the professional practice exam and showrelevant knowledge of Albertan law and ethics2. Obtain one year of Canadian experience,though they can apply and gain conditionalapproval before doing so3. Be competent in English4. Provide character references5. Possess Canadian citizenship or PermanentResident status; an applicant not possessingeither may apply as a Foreign LicenseeTo learn more about APEGA’s licensingrequirements, see www.apega.ca.Technicians and TechnologistsTechnicians and technologists do not need licensesto practice in Alberta, but may voluntarily apply forcertification from ASET. ASET uses a competencybased evaluation to assess the qualifications ofinternationally educated individuals. Successfulapplicants must have an appropriate combinationof post-secondary education in their field andpractical experience.Many European bachelor’s degrees are awardedafter three years. Workers holding them would likelyqualify for technologist or technician certificationwith ASET, while those with lower qualificationsmay qualify at the technician level. Candidatesseeking ASET certification generally require:1. At least two years of professional experience,including one year of Canadian experience2. Successful completion of the professionalpractices exam3. Three verifiable references4. The ability to work in English5. Canadian Citizenship or PermanentResident statusTo learn more about ASET’s certificationrequirements, see www.aset.ab.ca.In order to practice engineering, geology or geophysics independently,internationally educated workers must have their credentials evaluated byAPEGA to determine whether or not they meet the requirements for licensure.3

Table 1. German Engineering Titlesand Related Professional OrganizationsCanadian EngineeringOccupationsSimilar Occupations/Titles in GermanyEngineering ManagersTechnischer Geschäftsführer (Technical Director)Civil EngineersBauingenieure (Civil Engineer)Mechanical EngineersMaschinenbau-Ingenieure (Mechanical Engineer)Electrical and Electronics EngineersElektroingenieure (Electrical Engineer)Chemical EngineersChemieingenieure (Chemical Engineer)Industrial and ManufacturingEngineersProduktionsingenieure (Production Engineer)Metallurgical and Materials EngineersIngenieure der Werkstofftechnik (Materials Engineer)Mining EngineersBergbau-Ingenieure (Mining Engineer)Petroleum EngineersVerfahrensingenieure (Process Engineer)Civil Engineering Technologists andTechniciansBauingenieur, Bautechniker, Technischer Systemplaner, orIndustriemechanikerMechanical Engineering TechnologistsMechatronikerand TechniciansElectrical and Electronics EngineeringTechnologists and TechniciansElektriker fürt BetriebstechnikIndustrial Instruments Techniciansand MechanicsAnlagenmechaniker, IndustriemechanikerProfessional OrganizationsThe Association of German Engineers (VDI)Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag(DIHK) or the German Chambers of Industryand Commerce assist in organizing and settingcurriculum for vocational training programs atFacharbeiter and Meister level.The Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB) orThe Federal Institute for Vocational Educationand Training focuses on establishing curriculumfor Facharbeiter programs at the Berufsschulen.Geosciences OccupationsGeologist, Geochemists andGeophysicistsDiplom Geologe (Dipl. Geologe) Diplom Geophyiker or M.ScGeophysiker Diplom Mineraloge or M.Sc. MineralogeGeological and Mineral Technologistsand TechniciansGeotechniker, Geoingenieur, or Geological TechnicianGerman Professional Association of Geoscientists(BDG), member of the European Federation ofGeologists (EFG)Architecture-Related OccupationsArchitectural Technologists andTechniciansBauzeichner, or possibly MSc or Dipl. Ing. in architecture, butnot yet a registered Architect.Drafting Technologists andTechniciansTechnischer Produktdesigner, Konstrukteur, technischerSystemplaner, Technisher ZeichnerFederal Chamber of German Architects (BAK)Electronic Service TechniciansElectronic Service TechniciansKundendiensttechniker (bereich elektronik)(CustomerService engineer (electronics), Servicetechniker (bereichThe Association for Electrical, Electronic andelektronik) (service technician in electronics), ElektromonteurInformation Technologies (VDE)(electrician), Systeminformatiker or Elektroniker für geräteund systeme (Electronic technician for devices and systems)Source: RDA Global, contributions from listed professional organizations.4

Fact SheetsFact sheets on hiring internationally trained workers in engineering-related occupationscan be found at x. Follow thelinks below for more information on hiring for specific occupations: Hiring Architectural or Drafting Technologists or Technicians from Germany Hiring Electronic Service Technicians from Germany Hiring Engineers from Germany Hiring Engineering Technologists or Technicians from Germany Hiring Geoscientists from Germany Hiring Geological or Mineral Technologists or Technicians from Germany5