- Thomas Crawford
I knew that there is a big international community in Cologne, but where to find them? Yes, I did indeed find them on InterNations!.
Employment in Duesseldorf
Local Economy
Today, the major industry in Duesseldorf is telecommunications. The city is home to the headquarters of some of the biggest providers of mobile services, such as EE and Vodafone. The foreign trading offices of Nokia, Ericsson and NTT can also be found in the thriving business districts of the city. Another sector of the telecommunications industry that plays a major role in the economy of Düsseldorf is internet services. There are 18 internet service provider companies situated within the city.
In addition to this, Duesseldorf has had a strong working relationship with Japan for the past 50 years. Many Japanese corporations such as banks, finance and credit companies have their headquarters in the Japanese district of Duesseldorf.
There are plenty of employment opportunities for expats in the city. The telecommunications industries have roles for English speakers with experience in management and executives. Au pair and bar or restaurant jobs are also readily available for foreigners in the nightlife districts of Duesseldorf.
Income Taxation in Duesseldorf
A single person earning up to 8,354 EUR or a married couple earning 16,708 EUR or less are not eligible to be taxed in Duesseldorf. Above this income amount, the rate of income tax ranges from 1% to 45%. The ratio of tax is calculated on a progressive scale and increases with the increase of taxable income.
Net incomes upwards of 250,731 EUR for singles and 501,462 EUR for married couples are liable to be taxed at the maximum amount of 45%. As well as this, these income amounts are also charged a ‘solidarity surcharge’ of 5.5%. This tax is put towards the project of integrating the former states of East Germany with each other.
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Finance resides over all of the tax related issues in Duesseldorf; they can be contacted through their website for more advice and information.
Job Hunting in Duesseldorf
It is important for expats to have an excellent CV when applying for a vacancy in the competitive job market of Duesseldorf. In order to prepare an appropriate resume, foreigners should know what the name of their professional qualification in Germany. It is also worth checking whether Germany recognizes the qualification.
Once a good CV has been made, job seekers from overseas can hunt for Duesseldorf job listings on websites such as EURES which advertises a regularly updated selection of jobs in a variety of sectors all across the EU, and can be narrowed down by city.
It is important to keep up to date with the latest advertisements through internet search, and it can also be helpful to check local newspapers such as Das Handesblatt and Duesseldorf Nachrichten.