How much do people with higher and secondary education earn in Germany, which professions are the best paid, in which cities the pay is the highest and what are the salaries of unskilled personnel? Here are the current numbers:
By European standards, wages in Germany are high, with the western part of the country typically paying more than the east, and women still earning less than men. These well-known facts are confirmed by the current statistics, which make it clear what incomes people from different professions in different regions of the country can count on in 2024. The statistics were published by the Federal Labor Agency.
The average salary in Germany: 3,796 euros per month
It is clear from the agency's data that at the end of last year, the median gross salary in Germany was 3,796 euros per month. In one year, it increased by 4.1 percent or by 150 euros. Experts attribute this growth to the conclusion of new collective bargaining agreements in a number of industries as a result of wage agreements between employers and unions. The median salary is an indicator right in the middle: one half earns more and the other - less, and only full-time workers are taken into account in the statistics.
From the data of the Federal Labor Agency it is also clear that the differences in the pay of men and women have remained - 3,930 euros against 3,563 euros, from which it follows that the difference by gender amounts to 367 euros (with 2 euros more, than in the previous year). In general, however, the differences are decreasing - by about 17 percent over the last few years.
The highest salaries are in Hamburg
The data shows that from a regional point of view, the highest salaries are in the city of Hamburg, which has the status of a federal province. The city has a large and widely diversified economy: the largest sea port in the country, enterprises from the sphere of aircraft construction, machine building and the pharmaceutical industry, medical services, trade, tourism, media business. The average salary there is 4304 euros.
Among the provinces with the highest incomes are also Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Berlin and Bavaria. With the exception of the capital Berlin, all others are located in the western part of the country. In Bavaria, where, according to a recent study, there are also some of the most comfortable and promising German cities, the average salary is 3,498 euros.
And of the five states with the lowest wages, all are in the eastern part of the country: Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is at the bottom of the list with €3,098.
The Labor Agency has also established age differences. They are mainly due to the fact that experience also reflects. Those working under the age of 25 will receive an average of 2897 euros, those between 25 and 55 - 3860 euros, and in the over 55 category the median salary rises to 3954 euros.
How education affects
According to the current data, people with a higher education receive an average of 5,688 euros, and those with a professional qualification - 3,658 euros. At the same time, workers who do not have a completed vocational education take an average of 2,831 euros, or twice less than people with a higher education. That is, even for low-skilled labor in Germany relatively decent money is paid.
As for those who take care of the elderly - again without special education, in this sector the average salary is 2,906 euros, and here too there are differences between men and women: 2,934 vs. 2,896 euros. There are also differences between provinces - the labor of caring for the elderly is most valued in North Rhine-Westphalia, where in cities such as Essen, Cologne and Dusseldorf they are paid more than 3,000 euros. Qualified caregivers receive 1,000 euros more - an average of 3,901 per month.
How much do doctors, teachers, drivers get
Here are some more examples of salary levels in Germany. The median gross salary for doctors is 6,785 euros, and for surgeons - more than 7,100. Nurses with professional qualifications, but without specialization, receive 4,056 euros, and nurses in the operating room - 4,519.
System administrators earn an average of €5,124, and in Munich, for example, IT consultants earn an average of €6,762.
Kindergarten workers without professional qualifications receive 3,040 euros each, and primary school teachers - 4,724, and in this sector women receive more than men. The situation is similar in high schools - 5,540 euros for female teachers and 5,515 euros for male teachers.
Wages for saleswomen and salesmen are approximately half that - 2,728 euros, and truck drivers receive an average of 2,930 euros. In cities like Munich and Frankfurt am Main, they charge a lot more - over 3,500 euros.