Does Germany know something Mr. Trump doesn't?

True... Germany has accepted so many refugees in part at least because of the nation's guilty past.  But there seems to be a payoff for Deutschland's "penance."  Witness this article from the December 2nd issue of "This Week in Germany":

Dear TWIG Readers,

Germany's influx of refugees has many people wondering about the country's future. A new study shows that 44 percent of new businesses founded last year in Germany were launched by persons of non-German descent, which demonstrates the potential impact that Germany's migrant community can have on the economy.

The study, which was commissioned

by the Economic Affairs Ministry, found that the number of business owners with foreign roots rose by 30 percent between 2005 and 2015 (in comparison: the number of business owners with German heritage declined only slightly, by 3 percent).

Business owners with an immigrant background most often opened businesses in construction, science and technology. Between 2003 and 2015, the portion of new businesses founded by immigrants rose from 13 percent to 44 percent. The Bertelsmann Stiftung previously called Germany's employers with immigrant backgrounds the "job-engine of Germany", creating 1.3 million new jobs in 2014.

"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, told Deutsche Welle. "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 in the job market."

What makes these figures even more impressive is that Germany's immigrant community only increased by 9 percent between 2005 and 2015 - and it still managed to open so many new businesses.

Germany is still addressing questions related to integration of newcomers, but this data is particularly promising for those concerned about the job market.

Nicole Glass

Editor, The Week in Germany

Webteam, Germany.info