Über Geld spricht man nicht. One does not talk about money. Statista opened its report on the StepStone salary survey of 2017 with this sentence. StepStone had asked about 60,000 skilled workers and managers across Germany how often they ask for a raise. About 34 percent ask once a year. About 22 percent ask every two years. One in four women and almost one in five men said they never ask.
studies
Pay in Fourth Place
In the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2026, employees in Germany were asked what matters most when they choose an employer. Job security came first, named by 58 percent. A pleasant working atmosphere came second with 54 percent, and work-life balance third with 52 percent. Pay and benefits came fourth with 50 percent. In 2025, pay had still been in first place.
The EY job study of 2025 asked why people had left an employer. The most common reason was pay that was too low, named by 35 percent. Nicole Dietl of EY drew this conclusion: Geld ist ein wichtiger Hebel, ein gutes Gehalt allein motiviert Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter allerdings nicht. Money is an important lever, but a good salary alone does not motivate employees.
The Gender Pay Gap
In 2025, women in Germany earned 22.81 euros gross per hour on average, and men 27.05 euros. The difference was 16 percent. The Federal Statistical Office also calculates an adjusted figure. About 60 percent of the gap is explained by factors such as part-time work, the sector and the requirements of the job. The part that remains unexplained is the adjusted gap, 6 percent. The office calls it an upper limit for possible pay discrimination against women. Equal Pay Day marks the gap each year. In 2026 it fell on 27 February. Until that day, women had worked 58 days of the year without pay, in statistical terms.
The Fewest Hours in the OECD
In 2024, a worker in Germany worked 1,331 hours on average. That was fewer than in any other OECD country. The OECD average was 1,736 hours. The German Economic Institute points out that countries measure working time in different ways. It also looked at the figure per person of working age, which takes account of how many people work. By that measure, Germany worked 1,031 hours in 2022, almost 200 hours below the OECD average.
The Four-Day Week Trial
From the start of 2024, 45 organizations in Germany tested a four-day week for six months. The University of Münster led the study, under Professor Julia Backmann. Employees reported less stress and fewer symptoms of burnout. Productivity stayed the same or rose slightly. More than 70 percent of the organizations said they wanted to continue after the trial.
Clubs and Volunteers
In 2022, the German registers of associations listed 615,759 associations. Sport is the largest field, with 22 percent of all civil society organizations. In 2024, 36.7 percent of people aged 14 and over did voluntary work, about 27 million people. In 2019, the share had been 39.7 percent. Almost a quarter of volunteers give three to five hours a week.
Reachable After Hours
Surveys for the DGB-Index Gute Arbeit of the German Trade Union Confederation ask employees about work outside their working hours. Of those surveyed, 23 percent said they are very often or often reachable in their free time. In 2025, about 40 percent had done unpaid work for their employer outside their normal hours, about 14 million people. And 44 percent work longer than agreed.
A Secure Job Comes First
In the Shell Youth Study 2024, 91 percent of young people in Germany said that a secure job was important or very important to them. A high income was important to 83 percent, and good chances of promotion to 80 percent. In the 2015 study, the figure for a secure job had been 95 percent. At the same time, only 35 percent said they feared unemployment or not finding a training place. That was a record low.
Father State
In a survey by EY published in 2016, 32 percent of students in Germany said they would like to work for the state. No other employer was named as often. For 63 percent, job security was the most important criterion in choosing an employer. A report on the survey called the state by its old nickname, Vater Staat, Father State. In EY’s student study of 2026, a stable and secure job was again the top factor, named by 52 percent. Salary came second with 43 percent. In the 2024 study, salary had been in first place.
One in Seven Wants to Lead
In a 2025 survey by the German Economic Institute, employees without leadership responsibility were asked whether they could imagine taking on a leadership position. Only 14 percent said they definitely could. Another 43 percent said they had no interest in leadership at all. About four in ten would do it under certain conditions. Those who were unwilling gave their reasons. The most common were the heavy workload (77 percent), the high responsibility (75 percent) and the fear that their private life would suffer (73 percent).