Iserlohn/Berlin, 12 September 2025 – According to the OECD study, Germany is attracting more and more international students. A new analysis by the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE) shows how strongly this talent is already represented in Germany’s largest companies.
Disclaimer: The analysis is based on freely accessible LinkedIn profile information, which is not verified but provides a representative picture of the international composition of the DAX40 workforce.
High proportion of international employees
Around 35 per cent of employees in DAX40 companies have studied abroad or come from abroad. This is shown by the UE’s LinkedIn analysis. Alumni from universities in India and Brazil are particularly well represented.
Top universities in the ranking
Most DAX40 employees with an international background come from Savitribai Phule Pune University in India (2,073), Politehnica University Timisoara in Romania (2,032) and Fundação Getulio Vargas in Brazil (1,958).
A total of 122 universities were included in the analysis of company profiles, including 27 private institutions. This means that, in addition to state universities, private universities are also increasingly contributing to the supply of skilled workers.
Skills in demand in corporations
Project management (292,382 mentions), Microsoft Office (270,728) and Excel (191,965) top the list of the most frequently mentioned skills. Also highly rated: management, engineering and customer service.
“The international composition of the DAX40 workforce is a clear signal of Germany’s competitiveness as a business location. The fact that graduates from different types of higher education institutions are represented illustrates the enormous range of educational pathways. It is noteworthy that, in addition to state universities, private universities are also becoming increasingly visible – thus enriching the diversity of qualification profiles in companies,” says Jessica Carolin Barthel-Jelkmann, press spokesperson for the University of Europe for Applied Sciences.
About the study
The study is based on an evaluation of publicly available LinkedIn company profiles in the ‘People Tab’ of DAX40 companies. The data collected includes information on educational institutions as well as knowledge and skills as specified by employees in their profiles. The cut-off date for the survey was 25 August 2025.