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Germans are leaving Germany, here's where they are "immigrating"

2025-01-07 12:50:31Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Germans are leaving Germany, here's where they are "immigrating"

Eight o'clock in the morning. Somaeh Metzger knocks on Mrs. Pennig-Chaussy's door and walks in. "Good morning, how are you?" the nurse says. "Gudde Moien," she replies.

Marie Josée Pennig-Chaussy is 94 years old and has been living in the "Op Lamp" nursing home in Wasserbillig, Luxembourg, for six years. Somaeh Metzger is 50 years younger. The usual care procedure begins.

Somaeh Metzger dresses Mrs. Pennig-Chaussy, helps her out of bed, puts her in a wheelchair, and takes her to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, they return to the room.

Mrs. Pennig-Chaussy takes care of applying the lipstick, although the caretaker helps her by holding her trembling hand. They discuss the old lady's previous theatrical career - sometimes in German, sometimes in Luxembourgish, with lots of French phrases.

Much better than in Germany

Almost 20 years ago, Somaeh Metzger decided to quit her job at a nursing home in Germany and move to neighboring Luxembourg. She learned Luxembourgish in a course organized by her employer.

It's only 13 kilometers from her home in Trier, Germany, where she lives with her family, to her workplace. "I haven't regretted my decision for a second," says Metzger.

There are many people who go to work in Luxembourg from Germany. According to the National Statistical Institute, over 52,000 Germans work there - 30 percent more than a decade ago. The vast majority of them still live in Germany and go to work in Luxembourg.

In the health and social care sector alone, 6,300 Germans are registered, among them at least 4,000 caregivers like Somaeh Metzger.

This is also evident in her workplace: over 80 percent of the 147 employees at the "Op Lamp" nursing home are German, looking after the 81 residents of the nursing home. "We are not specifically looking for caregivers from Germany," says director Mireille Wirtz-Lenertz. But word has spread in the border region that working conditions in Luxembourg are much better than in Germany.

There are almost no overtime hours, employees are respected, and the salary is almost twice as high as in Germany. "I earn more in Luxembourg working 60% of the time than I did in Germany when I worked full time," says Metzger.

There are also concerns in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg, with a population of 670,000, has recently raised the salaries of workers in the care of the elderly and the sick. With ten years of service, a carer in a nursing home earns around 65,000 euros a year - plus bonuses. While a nurse can earn around 100,000 euros.

Luxembourg is apparently ready to pay its caregivers even better, as its population is also aging. According to estimates by the caregivers' association Copas, 4,000 additional jobs will need to be filled in the care sector over the next five years: carers, nurses, physiotherapists and even kitchen assistants.

But in Luxembourg, only a little over 100 carers complete their training each year. Already around 50 percent of nurses come from neighbouring countries. Wirtz-Lenertz fears it will become harder to find carers from Germany in the coming years. "Wages are also rising there," she says. But she is confident of better working conditions, lower taxes and of course better pensions in Luxembourg.

The situation in Germany

At the same time, it is a disaster for nursing homes and hospitals on the German side of the border. From the Barmherzige Brüder hospital in Trier alone, 25 to 30 nurses leave for Luxembourg every year, says Jörg Mogendorf, director of the hospital's nursing department. "The trend is increasing," he explains. The Rhineland-Palatinate state chamber of care workers also confirms that the situation "has not improved at all. On the contrary: it has worsened."

President Markus Mai thinks that little can be done against the excellent wages in neighboring countries: "The only thing that can be done is to increase the overall number of employees in the affected regions. But our Chamber has little influence or opportunity to change the situation."

I'm not coming back!

Somaeh Metzger will not return to Germany: "In Germany I was responsible for nine or ten elderly people in a shift, I often worked 15 days without a break. In Luxembourg, I have five people I care for." She does not believe things will change.

In Luxembourg, her employer respects her wishes when organizing her schedule. Somaeh Metzger is extremely satisfied: "I can balance my work and private life without any difficulties." In Germany, more and more people are thinking like Metzger and leaving, and not only in the care sector. /DW


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