Germany Updates Pay Rules for Workers, Releasing the Full List of New National Minimum Wage
- Germany's statutory minimum wage rose to EUR 13.90 gross per hour from January 1, 2026, with sectoral wages set even higher in some industries
- The country updated its minimum apprenticeship allowance for 2026, setting new rates across all four years of training
- Germany also lists specific categories of workers who are exempt from the statutory minimum wage requirements
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
Germany has updated its pay rules for 2026, raising both the national minimum wage and the minimum amounts that apprentices must be paid during their training.
The statutory minimum wage in Germany now stands at EUR 13.90 gross per hour, effective from January 1, 2026. Beyond this national floor, certain sectors maintain their own, often higher, minimum wages.
Source: Getty Images
These sectoral rates are agreed through collective bargaining and made legally binding across entire industries under the Collective Agreements Act, the Posting of Workers Act, and the Act on the Provision of Temporary Workers, meaning every company in the relevant sector must comply.
In competitive fields where skilled workers are in high demand, employers regularly pay above the collectively agreed rates. These extra payments sit on top of the baseline set by collective agreements and are offered voluntarily by individual companies to attract talent.
Who is exempt from the minimum wage
Germany does not apply the minimum wage universally. The following groups fall outside its scope: volunteers; those under 18 without vocational training; apprentices and trainees; students on mandatory school or further education placements; people on voluntary traineeships of up to three months taken for career orientation before starting an apprenticeship or degree; individuals who were long-term unemployed, during their first six months back in work after leaving unemployment; and young people in introductory training programmes such as Einstiegsqualifizierung, which prepares them for formal apprenticeships.
New apprenticeship pay rates for 2026
The minimum apprenticeship allowance (Mindestausbildungsvergütung) for apprentices who begin training in 2026 has been revised upward across all four years:
- EUR 724 per month in the first year
- EUR 854 per month in the second year, which is 18% more than the first year
- EUR 977 per month in the third year, which is 35% more than the first year
- EUR 1,014 per month in the fourth year, which is 40% more than the first year
It is worth noting that these rates apply specifically to apprentices who started in the 2026 calendar year, not to all apprentices currently in training.
Going forward, the rates will adjust automatically, tied to the average change in agreed apprenticeship allowances across both collective and individual contracts.
Germany launches recruitment of foreigners
Legit.ng earlier reported that Germany has introduced an accelerated recruitment pathway for foreign skilled workers, aimed at cutting down the lengthy waiting times that have long slowed the process of bringing international professionals into the country.
Source: Legit.ng
