Herewith, an informative report on the impact that immigration has had in Germany...

The Week in Germany

Editorial Dear TWIG Readers, (©www.colourbox.com) At a time when mass immigration has created uncertainty for Germany's future, a new study brings some promising news. This month, the Bertelsmann Foundation - a nonprofit organization based in Germany - released a report that shows some of the positive effects that immigration can have on Germany. In 2005, entrepreneurs and small-business owners with foreign backgrounds created 947,000 new jobs in Germany, the report states. In 2014, the number of immigrants in Germany rose by 9 percent - but the number of jobs they created rose by 36 percent to 1.3 million. The data shows that workers with foreign backgrounds have created an increasing number of jobs over the years, which is promising news considering Germany's aging working-age population. "We show with our study that people with a migrant background in Germany do not take away jobs from anyone - quite the opposite," Aart de Geus, chairman of the Bertelsmann Foundation, said in a statement. Another result that is perhaps surprising is the type of jobs that were created. A common stereotype is that migrant workers predominantly open Döner Kebab restaurants and corner stores. This, however, is a misconception: only 28 percent of business owners with foreign roots work in the restaurant and retail industries, with the remaining 72 percent working in other industries (such as manufacturing and construction). Although the report did not include data from 2015 (the year that Syrian refugees came to Germany in large numbers), it does demonstrate the positive impacts that workers with foreign backgrounds can have on an economy.  "People with a migrant background are not only working as self-employed persons, but they also create jobs and allow many people the chance to participate on the job market," De Geus said. Nicole Glass Editor, The Week in Germany Webteam, Germany.info