Even despite the famous beer festival, foreigners still complain about boring leisure activities in Germany
Foreign specialists were asked to rate the countries where they currently live and work in several categories: quality of life, ease of settling in, job and salary satisfaction, family life, and cost of living.
As Deutsche Welle notes, Germany remains an attractive place to work, but in some criteria it lags behind other countries. For example, respondents are dissatisfied with the unfriendly attitude of the local population towards foreigners and the difficulty of making friends among Germans. That is why it ended up at the bottom of the ranking in these indicators, alongside Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark.
"56 percent of foreign specialists surveyed in Germany admitted that they find it difficult to make friends with locals," said Malte Zeeck, head of InterNations, in an interview with DW. Only half of the expats described Germans as friendly towards foreigners. In other countries, including Russia and Kazakhstan, this figure is much higher.
Survey participants explained in detail what exactly they dislike. In general, they call Germany a "cold country" and criticize it for "lack of understanding of the benefits of a multicultural society," "prejudices against other nations," and "fear and distrust of all strangers." Moreover, according to foreigners, without knowledge of the German language, one can feel isolated.
In addition to the difficulties of adapting to German society, expats also cited another reason for Germany's unattractiveness. Compared to the previous ranking, the country lost 16 positions in the "quality of life" category because this year the criterion "digitalization of the country" was added. Foreign specialists criticized the complexity of registering a SIM card, difficulties with card payments in some places, "primitive internet," and underdeveloped online services.
In these criteria, Germany was surpassed by 52 countries, including Greece, Kazakhstan, Oman, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, and Russia. Estonia, with its rapid development of digital technologies, came in first place. "Providing the opportunity to handle bureaucratic issues online and in English, ensuring fast internet and cashless payments – this is where Germany can start taking action," believes Malte Zeeck.
Leisure opportunities also did not impress expats. 14 percent of newcomers are generally dissatisfied with their life in Germany. Among the reasons, they cited the language barrier, lack of support, and opportunities for communication. At the same time, in terms of transport and travel, healthcare, and safety, the country is at the top of the ranking.
Overall, foreigners are satisfied with their salary and financial situation. The opportunities for family life in Germany were also highly rated – the country's position improved in this category.
Germany remains in the top ten for job satisfaction. Job security and economic stability, work-life balance, and career prospects undoubtedly attract specialists from abroad. As for Germans currently living and working abroad, most of them do not plan to return to Germany.