Olaf Scholz built his 2021 election campaign on the word Respekt, respect, and campaigned for a minimum wage of 12 euros. The Bundestag raised the minimum wage to 12 euros by law, from 1 October 2022. In June 2025, the minimum wage commission of unions and employers unanimously proposed 13.90 euros from 1 January 2026 and 14.60 euros from 1 January 2027. The cabinet adopted the increase in October 2025. The coalition agreement names a benchmark for future increases: 60 percent of the median gross wage of full-time employees.