Zeit Agency

Germany's Top Employers 2024

A Universum survey in Germany ranks the most attractive employers for Professionals and Students in 2024 across Business and Humanities. In the Professionals Business category, Porsche is ranked first, followed by Google, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Lufthansa Group. Among Students in Business, Porsche again leads, with Google second, BMW Group third, Mercedes-Benz Group fourth, and Apple fifth. In Geisteswissenschaften, Professionals top Google, ZEIT, and Caritas, while Students top Google, Auswärtiges Amt, and Caritas. The study highlights factors driving attractiveness, including work-life balance, flexible models, and salary transparency, noting that transparent pay and a favorable environment contribute to satisfaction. The article also discusses trends toward diverse tasks and clearer career paths, with deeper insights available in the full report. The piece was published on 23 October 2024.

German Bundestag to Activate Twitter & Instagram

The Deutscher Bundestag plans to expand its digital communications by establishing official accounts on Twitter and Instagram to support public outreach. According to media outlets NDR and Die Zeit, the Parliament intends to bolster its online presence across popular social channels. A project group within the federal administration will study platform usage and other messaging services, and a YouTube presence is already established and is to be expanded; a Facebook start is not yet decided. The initiative reportedly rests with the Internal Committee of the Elders’ Council, and a decision on a final communications concept at rollout has not been disclosed. Hendrik Zörner, spokesperson for the German Journalists Association (DJV), warns that social media should not be treated as a side activity and questions who will manage discussions with users, noting that no new positions are planned for Twitter.

WELT and XING Lead German Websites in Speed Test

Baqend conducted a speed test of Germany’s 24 most-visited websites using data from AGOF to assess load times and the first meaningful content. The WELT site was the clear leader, loading in 500.6 milliseconds with the first meaningful content appearing at 365.2 milliseconds. XING followed with a load time of about 0.6 seconds. By contrast, SPIEGEL ONLINE and BILD averaged roughly 2.5 seconds, while ZEIT lagged at 4.6 seconds and FOCUS Online at 5.65 seconds. The report also notes that page speed does not always correlate with user counts, highlighting examples like WEB.de (~1.5s) and eBay (~1.5s) with substantial unique-user bases. Baqend founder Felix Gessert emphasizes that fast loading is critical for publishers to retain readers, particularly for News, and that many top sites could improve performance. The study underscores the ongoing importance of performance optimization for AdTech and publishing platforms.