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Wido Geis IW-Trends 4. August 2017 Securing Skilled Labour by Training High School Graduates from Abroad at German Universities

In recent years, more and more high school graduates from other countries, have been studying at German universities. While in the winter semester 2011/2012 there were around 193,000 such students, by 2015/2016 that number had risen to 252,000.

Securing Skilled Labour by Training High School Graduates from Abroad at German Universities
Wido Geis IW-Trends 4. August 2017

Securing Skilled Labour by Training High School Graduates from Abroad at German Universities

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

In recent years, more and more high school graduates from other countries, have been studying at German universities. While in the winter semester 2011/2012 there were around 193,000 such students, by 2015/2016 that number had risen to 252,000.

Students from abroad who graduate and stay in the country have very good chances on the German labour market. In 2014, for example, around 79 per cent of 25- to 64-year-olds who had completed their studies between 2004 and 2013 and were still living in Germany were in gainful employment. Of these, only 15.8 per cent had not been able to find a position matching their qualifications. A full 44.4 per cent had a tertiary degree in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), which is a particularly sought-after qualification in Germany. This is a significantly higher proportion than the 30.0 per cent of all graduates who obtained a STEM degree in the same period. Moreover, comparison of the cost of educating students from abroad at German universities with their later payments of taxes and social contributions indicates that their training more than pays for itself, even though most of Germany’s 16 states do not charge foreign students any tuition fees.

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The Regional Distribution of Graduates in Germany
Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Trends No. 1 4. March 2024

The Regional Distribution of Graduates in Germany

Graduates in Germany are distributed very unevenly across the country. Taking the population aged between 35 and 44, who have generally already completed their higher education, in 2019 the highest proportions of university graduates were to be found in Berlin ...

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Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Trends No. 1 4. March 2024

The Regional Distribution of Low-skilled Workers in Germany

Low-skilled workers in Germany are heavily concentrated in urban areas. In 2019, the proportion of 25- to 64-year-olds who had not completed at least two years of vocational training or higher education was almost twice as high in cities with a population of ...

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