Spanish engineers get in line to join German industry

Dozens of young and not-so-young Spanish engineers stood in line outside the German Chamber of Commerce in Barcelona in the early morning one day last week to attend an information session on how to successfully apply for a job in Germany. The turnout, which exceeded all expectations, is a result of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's statements earlier this year, when she said her country would need more than 100,000 engineers over the next decade and that she would love them to be Spanish.

The 80 seats in the auditorium were clearly insufficient to accommodate all the people interested in a position. Arnau Soy, a Catalan government representative, warned the audience that "businesses require high qualifications" and explained that the most-sought-after specialties are metallurgy, electronics and the automotive sector. Later, German companies will seek health professionals and Spanish teachers.

Ferran L., a 26-year-old electronics engineer, said he was in Germany on an Erasmus scholarship but returned to Spain because he wanted to get some professional experience. "Now I have a job here, but I am overqualified for the position," he says.

"I'm back from Germany; I was there for eight months learning the language," says Joan, a chemical engineer. "Now I want to go work there. I'd be happy to find an internship."

The other speaker of the day, Gerald Schomann of the German public employment services, said that the jobless rate is 7 percent, and that that the population is aging at an alarming rate, meaning that around 100,000 engineers will retire in a decade and will have to be replaced.

Schomann drew smiles when he noted that the starting salary for an engineer is 41,225 euros a year, and three years later 54,900 euros." In Spain, the average salary for an engineer is 25,000 euros.