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This is how much German professionals earn in different industries

From the tourism biz to big bankers, where does your field rank on the list of average salaries in Germany?

Published: 15 May 2018 15:04 CEST

This is how much German professionals earn in different industries

Photo: DPA

Not all jobs are created equal, a study on average salaries across Germany has shown. Career networking site XING released the report last Tuesday based on a member survey in an attempt to show income averages in many of Germany's biggest fields.

Those working in hotels and restaurants may find the survey results to be particularly displeasing. According to the study, the food and tourism industry has the lowest average salaries at only €50,319 per year.

Runner-up for lowest pay is the Marketing and PR branch, where professionals earn an average of €51,272 every year.

This year’s big winners in terms of salary are those in banking and financial services, who the study found make an average of €83,371 across the board. Not far behind is the insurance industry at an €82,554 annual average and consulting jobs with €75,956.

The overall average income across all industries was €67,651 for XING respondents, as compared to the national German average of €36,420 a year.

READ ON: These twelve companies pay the highest wages in Germany

Along with the differences in pay for different fields, the study also showed discrepancies between Germany’s different states in terms of average salary.

On top this year for highest average income is Frankfurt’s home state of Hesse, where the average Xing member earns €72,799. Bayern and Baden Württemberg weren’t too far behind with €71,777 and €70,701 respectively.

Lowest on the totem pole was the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where an average worker earns only €52,421.

The company surveyed over 12,000 of its users about their salary, location and working area for its 2018 study on salaries.

In addition to the average income, the site also questioned their users about their contentment with their salaries: half admitted to being unsatisfied.

Find your dream job, with thousands of English-language roles now on The Local Jobs.

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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