Working in Krefeld

Some of Krefeld’s great employers are literally connected by a thread with the city’s industrial textile heritage. More than 200 years ago, the “city like velvet and silk” supplied Emperors and Kings around the world, who could not get enough silk and brocade “Made in Krefeld”, with fine fabrics and textiles. Thanks to this exceptional quality, Krefeld became the richest city in the country in 1890. Today, the expertise and innovative spirit in the production and refinement of textiles makes Krefeld companies – predominantly in the chemical and mechanical engineering sectors – market leaders even today.

People working, living and starting a family in Krefeld can register their little ones for child care from the age of 4 months. There are various options on offer from about 45 nurseries, aimed at parents with children up to school age. For working parents who need a more extensive service, day care is available. All elementary schools in Krefeld are open all-day schools offering individual child care into the afternoon. The active weeks at Krefeld youth centres provide full and varied days of recreational activities to children up to 12 or 13 years old during the school holidays.

City of Krefeld family portal

Day care search and registration via KITA-Online

Child care during school holidays

Manufacturing is Krefeld’s biggest economic pillar – also in terms of jobs. Around 22,000 people work in around 360 Krefeld manufacturers, paving the way for products and innovations that power the world. The beginnings of industrial development are rooted in Krefeld’s important textile heritage. The silk city not only produced textiles, but also undertook research into their refinement. Even today, large Krefeld manufacturers are closely related to this industrial past, for example in the fields of chemical textile dyes or innovative technical fabrics. In their magazine “Made in Krefeld”, the zukunft durch industrie (Future through Manufacturing) initiative offers a surprising overview of Krefeld’s products and companies.

“Made in Krefeld” magazine

Krefeld’s employer landscape is one thing above all: varied. Compared to other large cities, the city has a higher than average company density. Employers in the chemical, metal and mechanical engineering sectors are particularly well represented here. And those with a creative mind will meet like-minded colleagues and discover cutting-edge fields of work in a thriving creative industry. The healthcare industry is becoming increasingly important in Krefeld and is one of the strongest growth sectors. Being on the edge of Germany’s largest metropolitan area, the city’s location also opens up all kinds of opportunities for your career. In recent decades, this ideal position, at the crossroads of North Rhine-Westphalia with excellent connections to the world, has also been recognised by many international companies who have relocated to Krefeld.

Since 2014, the Krefelder Netzwerk Wirtschaft & Familie (Krefeld Business & Family Network) has been holding a bi-annual competition to find the most family-friendly company in Krefeld. Here, employers can show their commitment to family-friendly personnel management, thereby positioning themselves clearly in the market for skilled workers. The competition has highlighted how important this topic is to many Krefeld companies but also how differently it is addressed in each company. In all honesty, one thing is clear: Krefeld companies are family-friendly.