According to a federal government response to a written question from the Left parliamentary group-reported by the “Rheinische Post”-the gender pay gap for employees not covered by a collective agreement has grown over the past decade, while it has narrowed among those who are.
In 2014, women without a collective agreement earned on average €3.76 less per hour than men. By 2025 the gap had widened further to €4.03. For employees with a collective agreement, the difference fell from €4.40 in 2014 to €4.03 in 2025.
These figures show that, on average, workers bound by collective agreements earn more than those who are not. Pascal Meiser, the Labour spokesperson for the Left party, highlighted the effectiveness of collective agreements: “The government’s data again demonstrate that collective agreements not only raise overall wages, but also substantially reduce the wage gap between women and men in companies that are covered”. He added that any initiative to increase collective contract coverage is an important step toward equality and fair pay for women.