Since the collapse of the communist state of East Germany in 1990 and the reunification of the country that followed it, Germany has grown steadily in global influence. It is a member of the Group of 20, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations, among other leading international bodies.

Manufacturing industry – including automotive (the strongest performer), metal production and processing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, electrical engineering and electronics – is a pillar of Germany’s economy, thanks in part to the government’s long-term industrial strategy.

As with many developed economies, the services sector is a major contributor to national prosperity; healthcare, telecommunications and tourism are particularly important.

Several of Germany’s cities, including Frankfurt (a major financial centre and home of the European Central Bank), Munich, Hamburg, and the capital, Berlin, are already hubs for foreign direct investment (FDI). Frankfurt, has emerged as a front-runner in the race to win business from London post-Brexit, and several other German regions, including central Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt, are competing to attract businesses that are relocating or seeking an alternative European base.

Challenges for those managing talent mobility in German, or setting up a business or a company office there, include compliance, particularly with immigration and tax regulations. Assignees, too, face challenges, not the least of which are learning the German language and the rising cost of rented expat housing.

In this section, HR and global mobility managers responsible for international assignees in Germany will find the support and information they need to ensure that their organisations comply with all the regulations governing the management of international relocations and assignments to the region.

There’s also plenty of practical advice, support and information for those setting up a business or a company office in the UK.

See also our Enterprise and Mobility Industry sections. For details of suppliers of international assignment and recruitment services, as well as destination services providers and relocation management companies that support businesses on the move, see our Directory. Keep informed by subscribing to our newsletters and other publications, and look out for details of our latest study tours and fact-finding missions to destinations across Europe.