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Millions of employees earn less than 14 euros per hour
Over 8 million people earn less than 14 euros per hour. Find out more about the current figures and discussions about the minimum wage increase in Germany.
Millions of employees earn less than 14 euros per hour
More than eight million employees in Germany earn less than 14 euros per hour. This number comes from a request from the Left group in the German Bundestag to the Ministry of Labor, as “Spiegel” reports. The data from April 2023 shows that 7.1 million people in the western and 1.3 million in the eastern federal states earn less than 14 euros per hour.
The majority of people, 1.6 million, who earn less than 14 euros an hour work in trade, including vehicle maintenance and repair. Likewise, 1.1 million people in the hospitality industry earn less than 14 euros per hour, which corresponds to almost two thirds of the employees in this industry.
The statutory minimum wage has been continuously increased in recent years. In April 2022 it was 9.82 euros per hour and rose to 12 euros last year. At the beginning of 2023 it was increased by 41 cents to 12.41 euros, with further increases planned to 12.82 euros next year.
The gap between low and top earners in Germany has narrowed, partly due to the increase in the statutory minimum wage. Higher earners received on average 2.98 times the gross hourly earnings of low earners in April 2023, compared to 3.28 in April 2022.
There were demands from SPD and trade union circles for a larger increase in the minimum wage. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil emphasized that the minimum wage commission should propose a significant increase. SPD co-chair Saskia Esken also expressed similar views, suggesting a reform of the minimum wage commission. In addition, Bundestag member Susanne Ferschl (Die Linke) pointed to an EU directive that states that the minimum wage must not be less than 60 percent of the average wage, which would correspond to an increase to at least 14 euros.