Hamburg is renowned for being a beautiful green city with a creative spirit and famous for being home to the oldest Opera House in Germany, Tierpark Hagenbeck (a zoo without animal cages) and 2,500 bridges! A lesser known fact is that Hamburg is also home to a thriving tech scene and with more Scala jobs going live every day, we thought we’d list the best reasons to move to Germany’s wealthiest city for work..
Tech
Hamburg is home to a multitude of tech giants including; Google, Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb and Yelp, with Snapchat joining its American peers with their newly built offices in the summer 2017. It’s no surprise that it was also the year (2017) Hamburg was dubbed the new German capital for starting a business in a report that found it had outstripped Berlin for the most new business founders per capita.
Transport
The Hamburg Public Transport Network (HVV) operates a comprehensive network of regional and commuter services on rail and bus around the city and its surrounding areas. There are also harbour ferries included in the system, making getting to and from work very easy for any expat living in Hamburg.
At the weekend and on public holidays, the busiest U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines (underground and suburban lines) run a 24hr service, which is a vital route home for those living in the suburbs.
Residents living in Hamburg often choose to get around the city by bike. This is a great and healthy way to explore the city. Hamburg is extremely bike-friendly, with separate bike lanes, wide roads and many car-free areas. Don’t own a bike? Fear not; Hamburg has an excellent public bike system – StadtRAD Hamburg. Bikes are kept in docking stations across the city where you can borrow a bike and return it to any other station.
Green City
Hamburg has been recognised as a green city because 14% of the space is green. Green areas and parks are a massive focus for Hamburg. Hamburg is home to the Europe’s biggest Japanese Garden. In 1990 it was designed by Yoshikuni Araki architect representing the Japanese culture and customs along with nature. The popular garden provides a peaceful natural environment to both locals and tourists who find tranquillity sitting beside the pond and enjoy peaceful surroundings.
Local Economy
Hamburg is a powerhouse of the German and European economies, being Germany’s wealthiest city with the highest GDP in the country and a huge employment rate of 92.1% of the working age population. Hamburg has been a commercial hub of northern Europe for centuries and an important banking city, home to Germany’s oldest bank, the Berenberg Bank. Expats in the financial sector go to Hamburg to work in the banks and fintech.
Income Tax
The threshold at which you start to pay income tax varies according to whether you are filing as a single person or a married couple. Your income will then be taxed at a progressive rate. It’s also worth noting there is also a ‘solidarity surcharge’ of up to 5.5% of the tax itself, which contributes to a special fund to pay for the cost of reunifying with the states of former East Germany. You’ll be pleased to know there are tax deductions that can reduce the amount you have to pay, including children and dependents, some insurance premiums, and charitable and political contributions.
Featured Attractions
Miniature Wonderland is currently the largest model railway around the world. In 2000, the construction of the first part was started and they completed three parts: Knuffingen, Central Hamburg and Austria within one year. In 2020, they expect to reach their final construction phase in which ten sections will be added.
The Hamburg Dom is a huge funfair is conducted that is the biggest of its kind. It’s 3km long and consists of high tech roller coasters, beer tents, countless carousels and spectacular fireworks. It is the largest funfair of its kind that attracts more than 10 million visitors from across the globe, per year. Hamburg Dom is held at Heiligengeistfeld ground in Hamburg and runs over 30 days over the course of the year and the stunning firework display can be seen by nearby cities.
If the rich culture of Hamburg and its multifarious bridges sound appealing to you, we are currently recruiting for clients over there for a number of live roles. Our current favourite Hamburg based job is: