I'm a simple emigrant, and we haven't looked into the pockets of strangers for a long time

One of the main portals for job searching, Stepstone published a salary report in Germany. I've already dug into it and brought it for you to look at, because counting other people's money together is more fun! To begin with, general information: 91% of respondents note that the importance of salary grows with age, while 63% already consider salary the main criterion when choosing a job. The median salary in Germany in 2024 is about €45,800, in the affluent Hesse about €50,250. As usual, the highest income is for doctors, financial professionals and IT specialists along with engineers. The lowest is in the hotel business, retail, social services and transport. But here it’s still a decent income, although supporting a whole family on it will be tough, depending on the region. But for two people it’s much nicer. On average, Germany still takes higher education into account: with it and managerial roles, the median salary rises by €10-15 thousand. Let’s leave my favorite dolma on my kitchen counter, and we’ll look at the median data. Let’s start with a couple of examples of socially important professions. Teacher – €52,000; social specialties in general – €42,250; Salesperson – €38,500; Trade (retail) in general – €38,500; Metro/train driver – €43,500; logistics in general – €42,250; Hotels/Restaurants – €39,250 – in the same financial group. The expected leaders of the ranking look like this: Doctor – €99,750, not to be confused with salaries in healthcare in general, where it’s around €41,750; IT and engineering – €61,250; Banks/Finance/Insurance – €65,750, and consulting a bit less – €62,000; Aviation and space – €62,000. Good news for my generation: 6-10 years of experience is the key threshold when income noticeably rises. Bad news for my gender: women’s salaries are still 12% lower than men’s, and for doctors it reaches up to 27%. Controversial news for everyone: from 2026 all employers will be required to publish salary ranges and the criteria for calculating pay. And in your regions, what salaries are there, and what do you think about these? Germans are not very happy: fewer than 38% of people are satisfied with their salaries. #money photo: Stepstone Gehaltsreport 2025