Foreign researchers in Germany - Analysis of the German labour market for researchers , Date: 2013.03.14, Order number: FFWP50, format: Working paper, area: Authority

Cover: Working Paper 50

The information available on the immigration of foreign researchers to Germany is currently unsatisfactory. Working Paper 50 uses the data from the Microcensus, the IAB Establishment Panel and the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR) to close existing gaps in information and draw attention to furher research requirements.

For the first time, this study observes researchers who are nationals of third countries who have a residence title in accordance with section 20 of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz - AufenthG).

Moreover, it has accertained the total number of foreign researchers and studied their distribution among establishments and in academia.

The main results:

  • The data from the Microcensus 2007 permit one to identify a total of 808,000 persons working as full-time or part-time researchers.
  • 9.5 percent of all researchers in Germany are foreigners, 5.5. percentage points being accounted for by EU citizens and 4 percentage points by third-country nationals.
  • The largest number of foreign researchers work in the fields of mathematics and computers.
  • The first explicit residence title for researchers from third countries in Germany was created when Directive 2005/71/EC was transformed in section 20 of the Residence Act. 588 persons with this residence title were resident in Germandy at the end of 2011. The lion´s share of foreign researchers, by contrast, have other residence titles to exercise their activity.
  • The largest share of persons with a residence title in accordance with section 20 of the Residence Act work in the Federal Länder North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
  • The main countries of origin of the holders of a residence title in section 20 of the Residence Act are the People´s Republic of China, India and the United States of America.

You will find more results in the Working Paper.

The study was draftet by: Isabell Klingert and Andreas H. Block.

This publication is only available in German language.

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