A good salary In Germany

We answer the question “what is a good salary in Germany?”. We tackle the average annual salaries based on different factors and provide an answer to the question: “Will my salary be enough?”

YouTube comments:

“This is a great video with a good breakdown! I moved from a big city and took a paycut on my previous gross salary, but I have been amazed how much I am provided for in Germany and never really felt broke despite technically having much lesser money than before. I think until you live here and really experience the economy and plan your finances, the numbers are just… numbers! End of the day I believe we should be fighting for fair salaries, and not higher ones just for the sake of it.”

“Whenever I read about 40% taxe rate, it makes me a bit frustrated. But looking from the other perspective, all of those high contributors I make are the reason why the life for people all ages so good and reliable in Germany, right? I would like to reveal those details and understand the real value of the contributions I would make :)”

“It’s however important to mention that living in Germany you have access to many amenities and infrastructure not available to you in other countries unless you hire someone yourself or you pay a net price for it.”

Don’t overpay your employees!

What drives employees? There are many answers to the question: Responsibility is one thing, appreciation is another. And money? Not so important. More salary can even be dangerous.

According to the motivational pope Sprenger, money can trigger a flash in the pan motivation. “The half-life is usually no more than 48 hours,” says the management consultant. Happiness researcher Ruckriegel is a little more optimistic: “Once the basic needs are met, it takes about two to three months for the employee’s expectations to adjust and for them to be just as satisfied as they were before the salary increase.”

In the long term, however, there is a risk of dramatic consequences from excessive financial generosity. According to Sprenger, it increases the stimulus and expectation level and can thus trigger a real addiction to rewards. Ruckriegel also warns: “You always have to push more, but at some point the end of the road will be reached.” And the higher the starting salary level, the lower the impact on productivity and the higher the greed. Because then the main thing is to earn as much as possible more than the others.

Salary and Job Security

Salary is still the top priority for Germans when choosing a job. More than two thirds of those surveyed (67 percent) see remuneration as a top employer characteristic. This is the result of a nationwide, representative survey by the opinion research institute Innofact on behalf of TARGOBANK.

This means that the topic of salary has gained even more importance compared to 2017 (2017: 61 percent) when the survey was first carried out. Job security came in second place among the most important employer characteristics this year – half of those surveyed stated that this was of great importance to them.

In 2017, however, it was even more important to those surveyed at 60 percent. The location of the company is also very relevant to those surveyed: around a third attach great importance to this when choosing an employer. Awareness or the size of the company, on the other hand, still do not play a major role (around 4 percent each).

Poorest states in America

Poverty in America. It’s a concept that shouldn’t be a thing here. I mean we are the richest nation in the world, right? Well, look around today and you’ll see a lot of us are struggling. For many it’s their own fault – lots of us are broke because of decisions we made.

But plenty of Americans live in poverty because of things outside of their control. Perhaps it was a loss of jobs. Or in many cases, it’s the cost of living. Yes, poverty is a complicated issue here in the US. And no matter who is in office, it’s a problem without an end in sight.

Germany: The discreet lives of the super rich

The rich in Germany been never been as well-off as they are today and assets have never been so unevenly distributed. But who are they? How do they live? And what do they think of their country?

A journey into the discreet world of the super-rich. One percent of Germans own over a quarter of the country’s assets, whilst half of the country’s citizens have no assets at all. But while the German media report on the growing poverty in the country on a daily basis, little is known about the super-rich. They keep a very low profile and can walk the streets unrecognized.

Salaries in Germany by profession

March 2020. Currently, the country has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, hovering around 3-4%. Having one of the most diversified economies in the world, Germany offers jobs in almost any sector.

Salaries in Germany are also quite high for global standards. The average net salary in Frankfurt is 2700 EUR per month. In Berlin, the average net wage is 2500 EUR per month.

Some economic sectors in Germany have a greater demand for foreign workers than others. Notably, health care and tech are among the sectors with the highest demand for foreigners.

How much does an Engineer make in Germany?

The estimated total pay for a Engineer is €67,886 per year in the Germany area, with an average salary of €62,886 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users.

The estimated additional pay is €5,000 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The “Most Likely Range” represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.

Salaries in Germany

Many people are moving to Germany because the working conditions and salary are often much better than in their home country. See how much money you can expect to earn and get some insights from a German.

YouTube comments:

“After working in Germany for several years in different cities and PhD in STEM, I can tell you that salaries are not that high as people imagine. After considering expensive rents and high tax, your disposable income isn’t much. The benefits come from social benefits, usually nice working hours, paid holidays, healthcare, great cheap alcohol and peaceful country. If you seek making a lot of money, Germany isn’t your country. In Europe you probably have look north for higher salaries and Switzerland, in Asia, some highly developed countries like Singapore. If you have a high level of education and work for a good company in the USA and even sometimes in Latin America, are better places to make great money. But hey money isn’t everything, you need to evaluate pros- and cons.”

“While average income in Germany was relatively high in 2019 with ~€3500 as mentioned in the video, the median was much lower with just €2500 (gross income). That means that 50% of the German population earn less than €2500 (~€1700 after taxes and insurances). It’s also worth mentioning that you’re considered upper class with a net income of around €5500 gross income, but you have to pay the property tax with just a monthly income of around €4500 gross income. If you plan to buy real estate in Germany: Forget it.”

“I work in a big car company in Germany as Engineer… and I can tell you the salaries are not high compared to the very high rent (or apartment prices), taxes and high prices of Energy and Benzin in Germany. I really wonder how people here are able to live who get lower salaries. And at some point you have to save to buy a house or an apartment (with something like half a million Euro) because after geting retired, your income gets 60% lower and then you will not even afford the rent of your apartment. I saw retired people who had to move to smaller worse apartments or ask for social housing or shelters. I think life here is not as rosy as people in the third world think. What is worse is: I think the government and politicians in Germany do not care much about this problem, or act as if there is no poor people in Germany at all. Politicians in Germany are rather busy with saving the Earth, recycling and cutting CO2 as their main mission… helping the poor or the middle class in Germany comes as second priority.”

“From the US here and about to start my first job out of college in Germany. I’m going there for the quality of life, I don’t care that I can make more here — if I die tomorrow the extra savings means nothing, but a strong welfare/healthcare system, fewer stupid people, better infrastructure, lower crime rates, better work culture, decent politicians, beautiful nature and architecture, etc. will have made me enjoy my life every day. I want that peace of mind and I can’t get that here. Everything is fundamentally messed up here and nothing will change in a meaningful way anytime soon.”

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