Gehalt.de has released its annual Salary Atlas (Gehaltsatlas), a report that provides an in-depth insight into salaries in Germany. As was the case last year, senior professionals in the medical industry earn the most money in the country.
This year, the researchers at gehalt.de analysed salary data from more than 220.500 records to compile the Salary Atlas 2021, a comprehensive review of salaries from all over Germany. The report reveals how industry, occupation and location can affect an employee’s salary.
Aside from simply listing the best and worst-paid jobs, the report also looks at where employees earn the most money, by state and by state capital, thereby highlighting salary differences between eastern and western Germany. The report also takes into account the impact of employers, academic titles and relevant qualifications.
According to this year’s Salary Atlas, senior doctors once again make the most money in Germany. The ranking also reflects the importance of management roles, particularly in sales, which make up the rest of the highest-paid jobs. The jobs have been ranked by median income (with the average salary for each job in brackets).
There is a distinct connection between the highest-paid industries and jobs this year, with the capital goods and pharmaceutical industries amongst those offering the highest salaries. The biotechnology industry ranked highest, with specialists in this field becoming increasingly sought-after for guiding Germany's pandemic response and vaccine research and development.
The worst paid industries have largely been negatively affected by coronavirus in Germany, and the subsequent restrictions that were implemented to combat the spread of the disease. The five lowest-paid industries in Germany in 2021 are as follows:
The Salary Atlas also looked at how different factors affect employee salaries. Those who hold an academic title earn an average of around 67.000 euros, while those without a degree earn an average of 42.000 euros.
What should not come as a surprise for anyone is that larger companies (those with more than 1.001 employees) pay significantly more than smaller companies (those with less than 101 employees). Larger companies pay an average of 68.000 euros a year, while smaller companies pay around 42.000 on average, and companies with between 101 and 1001 employees pay around 56.000 euros.
Taking into account all employees, businesses in Baden-Württemberg pay the most, with a median salary of over 46.000 euros, which is about 8 percent above the national average. Those in executive positions earn the most in the state of Hesse, however, with a median salary of 100.378 euros.
Jobs in eastern German states command a much lower salary than those in the western states, showing that the east-west divide still remains as distinct as ever in Germany. The five lowest paid states (all of them situated in the east of Germany) are:
Baden-Württemberg also came out on top when it comes to state capitals, with employees in Stuttgart earning the most. Skilled workers and executives will also find the most competitive salaries in Stuttgart.
The capitals of the eastern states make up the lowest-paid state capitals.