According to the Federal Statistical Office, nominal wages in Germany rose by 3.6 percent in the first quarter of 2025, the weakest increase since 2022. This growth was accompanied by a 2.3 percent rise in consumer prices during the same period.
Real wages, which take into account the effects of inflation, increased by 1.2 percent in the first quarter of 2025, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of growth. The nominal wage growth was attributed to the absence of the inflation adjustment premium.
Certain sectors, such as energy, professional and scientific services and information and communication, showed above-average nominal wage growth, with increases of 6.6, 5.8 and 5.8 percent, respectively. In contrast, the sectors of financial and insurance services and real estate and construction, experienced relatively modest growth, with increases of 1.5 and 1.1 percent, respectively. The mining and quarrying sector, on the other hand, saw a nominal wage decline of 2.4 percent.
Among full-time employees, the lowest quintile (1st quintile) recorded the strongest nominal wage growth, at 7.2 percent, while the highest quintile (5th quintile) saw a growth of 2.7 percent. The average nominal wage growth for all full-time employees was 3.6 percent, matching the overall nominal wage growth in the economy.
Apprentices and trainees experienced a notable nominal wage growth of 4.2 percent, while part-time employees saw a more modest increase of 0.7 percent, according to the statistics.