65 Years of the Guest Worker Agreement: Nearly 900,000 Came – Merz Praises Migration's Impact

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents 65 Years of the Guest Worker Agreement: Nearly 900,000 Came – Merz Praises Migration's Impact.

Nearly 900,000 workers from Turkey came to Germany in the 1960s – and many stayed. It is precisely this connection between arrival and staying that is at the heart of the 65th anniversary of the guest worker agreement.

Chancellor Merz recalls this record and places the impact of migration at the center of his remarks. He speaks of enrichment in four areas: cultural, economic, scientific and culinary.

The Handelsblatt report is brief. It combines a major historical figure with a clear political tribute – and makes visible that the history of immigration does not end with arrival.

Nearly 900,000 workers came to Germany in the 1960s

The nearly 900,000 workers mentioned came from Turkey to Germany under the guest worker agreement. The figure initially describes the scale of the influx in the 1960s cited in the report.

The crucial detail is the follow-up: “many stayed”. It shifts attention from the number who arrived to the lasting presence of migrants in Germany. The source does not provide an exact proportion of those who stayed permanently, however.

Why “many stayed” is the crucial addition

The report cites neither a percentage nor a separate figure for permanent residents; individual migrants are not named either. For that very reason, the wording should not be overstated: It makes the lasting impact clear, but it does not provide an exact proportion.

Merz's interpretation builds on the idea that the impact of migration extends beyond the initial role as a worker. The four areas mentioned make the impact of this historical immigration visible in life in German society.

Merz names four areas of migration's impact

Migration has enriched Germany “culturally, economically, scientifically and culinarily.”

The quote expressly names culture, the economy, science and cuisine. In doing so, Merz honors migration not only as immigration, but as a contribution that has shaped several areas of social life.

The report provides no individual key figures or examples for these four fields. His statement should therefore be read as a political interpretation, rather than a detailed assessment of migration in these four areas.

What the report establishes – and where a clear limit lies

The report's facts are unambiguous: nearly 900,000 workers came to Germany in the 1960s under the guest worker agreement, many stayed, and Chancellor Merz honored this migration on the occasion of the 65th anniversary.

By contrast, it does not provide a separate figure for those who stayed permanently, information about migrants' living and working conditions, or a detailed look at the decades that followed. These gaps should not be filled with assumptions.

For you, that means: The nearly 900,000 workers mentioned make the scale of the influx clear. The staying of many workers and the four areas of impact show the significance of the migration – but the brief report leaves the exact proportion of those who stayed permanently unclear.

The central message: Not just the arrival counts

The anniversary report emphasizes two things: the scale of immigration in the 1960s and its continuing impact. Nearly 900,000 workers came, many stayed, and Merz points to culture, the economy, science and cuisine.

Thus, the number of recruited workers becomes a story of staying. The report's central message is that Turkish migration not only shaped Germany at the beginning, but has enriched it in several areas to this day.