A gross income of less than 2000 euros – for some 3.38 million full-time employees in Germany is the reality. Cleaners and employees in hotels and restaurants deserve the least.
Around 3.38 million full-time employees in Germany earned less than 2,000 euros a month last month. According to the latest official data from the end of 2017, that was 16 percent, according to a response from the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to a request from the left. Representative Sabine Zimmermann asked on the occasion of Labor Day on 1 May. The paper is available to the German Press Agency.
Great regional differences
Regionally there are big differences. While in West Germany 13.5 percent of full-time employees (2.32 million) earned less than 2000 euros gross, in eastern Germany they were 27.5 percent (1.06 million) – almost one in four. The highest shares were with 32.6 percent Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and 30.2 percent Thuringia. The lowest shares were 11.4 percent in Baden-Württemberg and 11.5 percent in Hamburg.
„Too many employees are being fed with low wages,“ said Zimmermann. Thus, inflation and many exploding rents made sure that you can not get far less than 2000 euros gross. „It is a scandal that the East, in particular, remains so clearly dependent,“ said the labor market expert in her group. Among other things, Zimmermann called for an increase in the minimum wage from € 9.19 to € 12 and the abolition of temporary work.
Cleaners as tail light
The industry differences are great. This is shown by another dpa present answer, which has given the Ministry of Social Affairs, regardless of a small request by the AFD MEP René Springer: So the main occupational groups, the employees of the cleaning professions with a median gross income of 1861 euros at the end of 2017, the tailor – followed of workers in tourism, hotels and restaurants with 1961 euros.
This is followed by the agricultural, animal and forestry professions with 2154 euros for the employees on average, the food production and processing with 2165 euros, the non-medical health and nursing professions with 2353 euros and the professions in the sale with 2411 euros.
VdK warns against old-age poverty
The president of the social association VdK Germany, Verena Bentele, warned of the consequences of low wages also for old-age insurance. „Good wages make for good pensions, and politics must finally take action so that today’s poor workers do not become tomorrow’s poor pensioners,“ she said. To prevent poverty in old age, the minimum hourly wage should be raised to at least 12.80 euros. In addition, precarious employment such as mini-jobs and lending and temporary work would have to be curbed, emphasized Bentele.
Slight decline compared to the previous year
The numbers have fallen slightly. A year ago Zimmermann had revealed that around 3.7 million employees earned less than € 2,000 gross a month. This corresponded to almost 18 percent of all full-time employees subject to social insurance.
In the five new federal states, the proportion consistently exceeded 30 percent. Nearly 15 percent were affected in the west. This information was based on data from 2016.
