Record number of Germans moving abroad

[orieleye]

Despite an improved economic situation, more Germans relocated outside the country in 2007 than in any year since reunification in 1990, raising concerns over a demographic crisis in the near future.



Figures released on Monday, May 19, by the Federal Statistics Office showed that 165,180 German citizens migrated elsewhere last year, an increase of nearly 10,000 from 2006. The top destinations were Switzerland, the United States, Poland and Austria.

Record Number of Germans Moving Abroad | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 20.05.2008

[M.R.]

So the Germans are runing away from their country too... Depressing.

[Marcus Marulus]

What does "improved economic situation" mean?

[orieleye]

Originally Posted by Marulus

What does "improved economic situation" mean?

This:

In the midst of the global financial crisis, rising oil prices and the soaring value of the euro, somehow the German economy has managed to surprise everyone by growing at its fastest rate in 12 years. The German Federal Statistics Office announced Thursday that the economy grew by a surprising 1.5 percent in the first quarter of 2008.

The World from Berlin: German Economic Growth \'No Reason to Call All-Clear\' - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

[Marcus Marulus]

From time to time you hear about the "economic improvement" of this or that country, but it almost never means anything in ordinary lives of people. Often it brings misery instead of improvement. I am tired of these lies.

[eurofighter]

Depressing, indeed.

The reason may be a lag of perspective. In Germany you won't get the ammount of money like in other countries, or it's just easier to cope with the money you get there (less taxes etc.). Another problem is, that countries like Australia or Scandinavia seek working class jobs, jobs the german unemployed have learned. So I understand those who go: better employed in a foreign country than beeing unemployed at home.

[orieleye]

Hopefully these unwanted Turks are among the 'Germans' leaving Germany.

Futureorg, a group based in the western German city of Krefeld, recently polled 250 Turkish and German-Turkish professionals, of whom about three-quarters were born in Germany. According to a preliminary evaluation of the results, 38 percent said they planned to emigrate to Turkey. Of those wishing to emigrate, 42 percent claimed that it was primarily due to not feeling "at home" in Germany. Almost four-fifths of the respondents questioned whether Germany is pursuing "a credible integration policy."

"The British are more tolerant," says a Turkish-German management consultant from the southwestern city of Mannheim. He recounts what his former supervisor in a large German company allegedly once said to him: "You can have three German passports, but as far as I'm concerned you'll always be a Turk."

Turkish-German Professionals: Young, Qualified and Unwanted - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

[Aptrgangr]

Originally Posted by Marulus

What does "improved economic situation" mean?

This means big international operating corporations earn more money than they ever did before, and pay less taxes, need less employes than ever before. And the DAX-stockmarket index hits new record numbers. That's the "improved economic situation" here...

Originally Posted by M.R.

So the Germans are runing away from their country too... Depressing.

If you are unemployed here you are treated like a criminal - as it was e.g. the workers' fault Nokia decided to move it's factory to Romania despite it got subsidies here in Germany.
Many Germans rather move to Switzerland, USA or Canada to work than living here on social welfare benefits.

Originally Posted by orieleye

Hopefully these unwanted Turks are among the 'Germans' leaving Germany.

No, actually the number of Turks coming here increased again.


Edit:

Experts have predicted that the German population could fall to as low as 69 million in 2050 from some 82 million today.

82 million, that is not the German poulation, but the population living on FRG soil, about 17 million are of foreign origin.

[bombadillo]

Originally Posted by Marulus

From time to time you hear about the "economic improvement" of this or that country, but it almost never means anything in ordinary lives of people. Often it brings misery instead of improvement. I am tired of these lies.

The "growth" even if it is real (i.e., not a statistical fabrication) is accruing to the small upper class. This is as true in India as it is in the USA as it is in England. The bottom 60-70% are actually worse off, the "middle" 20-30% barely manage to hold even, and what "growth" does occur accrues to the top 10%, with the most spectacular gains occuring to the top 1%, and even more to the top 0.1%. This is has been going on for about thirty years or so and is referred to as the "neoliberal age" -- one where the inequalities are allowed to explode under the ideology of a "free market" (but actually taking place with active state support and with financial elites having hijacked the mechanism of the state). In fairness, there is less of this occuring in Western Europe than other parts of the world -- but even in Europe, the ideas of equity, the social contract, and a welfare state are fighting a rearguard action.

[Kalevi]

Futureorg, a group based in the western German city of Krefeld, recently polled 250 Turkish and German-Turkish professionals, of whom about three-quarters were born in Germany. According to a preliminary evaluation of the results, 38 percent said they planned to emigrate to Turkey. Of those wishing to emigrate, 42 percent claimed that it was primarily due to not feeling "at home" in Germany. Almost four-fifths of the respondents questioned whether Germany is pursuing "a credible integration policy."

And the obvious conclusion is, of course, that to attract immigrants, Germany must be made to look just like Turkey.

[Strengthandhonour]

If this continues things might turn really nasty for Germany and it might be looking at a big crisis in the future. I am surprised about the unemployment there..but if there is unemployment then why allow so many Turks to come? isn't the excuse that there is not enough workers?

[eurofighter]

Originally Posted by Strengthandhonour

If this continues things might turn really nasty for Germany and it might be looking at a big crisis in the future. I am surprised about the unemployment there..but if there is unemployment then why allow so many Turks to come? isn't the excuse that there is not enough workers?

They let the Turks immigrate in the hope, they will work for less money and without social security. And in the end, they really do what they can: they sell drugs etc.
As a matter of fact, I don't know nobody who really knows why they are allowed to live here at our expense
____________

Wehe dem Feigling, der Freude und Friede nicht findet im Siege der Seinen
- Odin-

[orieleye]

Here's a short Deutsche Welle video about German emigration. One family with three young children are moving to Norway for less bureaucracy and lower taxes, and open spaces. Also a 3rd generation Turkish bricklayer moving to Denmark. Scroll down to the middle of the page for the video of the day.

Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland