Diversity as the key to success for Germany’s economy
Made by Vielfalt: German family businesses campaign for tolerance and openness.
Made in Germany – Made by Vielfalt is the name of the diversity-advocating campaign that more than 40 German family businesses plus two business-owner organisations from Germany’s east have prescribed to in time for State elections set to be held in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, which pushes for more tolerance and openness in society. With their shared Germany-wide advertising campaign, they demonstrate that diversity is a key to success from an economic perspective.
“For decades, the Made in Germany label has stood for quality and excellence in international competition. Without diversity at our companies and in our country, we cannot create, let alone fill, jobs. And that would jeopardise the basis of our economic system as well as jobs”, says Dr. Timm Mittelsten Scheid, the campaign’s initiator, member of the shareholder family and of the advisory board of the Vorwerk Group. Diversity forms the bedrock of Germany’s prosperity. Every day, people give it their all for our companies, regardless of where they come from. This campaign is to make one thing clear: We are all Made in Germany – Made by Vielfalt!
Felix Fiege, Co-CEO of the Fiege Group who has been running the fifth-generation family business in unison with his cousin, Jens Fiege explains: “More than 22,000 people from 123 different nations work here at Fiege – and more than half of those are women. This diversity defines our family business. Most and for all, it makes us stronger, because every day, we get to experience how the interaction of different perspectives results in a better outcome.”
And Jens Fiege adds: “As a family business and an employer, we bear responsibility – for our employees, but also towards society. Which is why we take a stand for open-mindedness and tolerance and vehemently oppose any mindset whatsoever that calls into question our democracy in Germany.”
Diversity as a key to success – accountability on the part of businesses
A diversified environment is increasingly becoming an economic as well as a competitive success factor for companies. According to the Statista online portal, around 42.8 per cent of industrial enterprises in Germany are lamenting a lack of qualified personnel. Overall, some 1.8 million vacancies were not filled at the end of 2023. With the baby boomer generation heading towards retirement age, the situation is likely to worsen in the years to come. A clear majority of German entrepreneurs therefore welcome the immigration of skilled labour as one way to overcome the shortages.
Dr. Timm Mittelsten Scheid sees it as the responsibility of entrepreneurs: “Especially as the owner of a family business, we enjoy a high level of credibility and are actively involved in our society. We need to take a clear position and emphasise that promoting diversity and empowering equal opportunity cement our economic success and thus our prosperity in a globalised, interconnected world. Exclusion, on the other hand, causes severe harm to our location.”
