What were the outcomes?
Leipzig has been impressively successful in attracting major companies, especially in the logistics sector (DHL, Quelle, Amazon) and car manufacturing (BMW, Porsche). These two sectors alone led to the creation of an estimated 5,000 and 6,000 new jobs respectively.
The logistics sector was attracted by proximity to Leipzig-Halle airport, the only German airport without flight prohibition during the night. This accessibility was central to the decision of DHL to open one of only 3 international logistics centres in the world. DHL plans to employ 3,500 staff when fully operational in 2010, and an estimated 7,000 jobs are expected to be created indirectly.
Leipzig Trade Fair
BMW chose Leipzig for its new manufacturing site out of 250 applicant cities, investing 1.3 billion Euros. The attraction for BMW included availability of land; lower labour costs; more flexible labour rules; and not least, the efforts made by the City of Leipzig to help companies with the logistics of setting up in Eastern Germany.
The effectiveness of PUUL
• PUUL channelled more than 3,000 applicants (from Leipzig and surrounding areas) into new jobs, of which 50% were formerly unemployed
• In the logistics sector, 90% of jobs went to formerly unemployed workers. At Amazon, this was 100%!
• The nearby city of Halle has evolved as an important location for call centres; spillover benefits are expected for Leipzig in the future
• 465 participants that attended courses funded through the “Poleposition” project run by PUUL managed to get permanent jobs at the BMW plant.
Topics associated with this project
Employment, Housing, International, Training