In 2025, 49 % of all employees in Germany were employed by firms that operate under collective bargaining agreements, according to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Friday. The share of employees in tariff‑bound enterprises therefore remained unchanged compared with previous years.
The percentage varies considerably across sectors. The highest tariff binding-100 % of workers-occurred in the “Public Administration, Defence; Social Insurance” sector. It was followed by “Energy Supply” at 84 %, “Education and Teaching” at 79 %, and “Financial and Insurance Services” at 68 %. At the other end of the spectrum, the lowest tariff binding was observed in “Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries” (10 %), “Arts, Entertainment and Recreation” (21 %), “Real Estate and Housing” (21 %), and both “Hospitality” and “Freelance, Scientific and Technical Services” at 23 %. The figures for 2025 are very similar to those of the previous year, indicating only minor changes across industries.
Regionally, the highest rates of tariff binding were found in Bremen (56 %), Saarland (52 %) and North Rhine‑Westphalia (51 %). The lowest were in Saxony (42 %), Berlin (45 %) and Schleswig‑Holstein (46 %).