Regardless of the industry, the size of the company always influences the salary
Answers to these questions can be found in the current analysis by the online portal StepStone, which annually conducts a large-scale labor market study and compiles a salary report. So, in 2019, the average salary of technical and blue-collar specialists in Germany is 43,000 euros. But the favorable economic situation does not affect everyone, experts emphasize.
As Deutsche Welle notes, mid-level specialists are in the most advantageous financial situation – they earn an average of 58,000 euros per year before taxes. This is the result of the work they invested in their vocational training, as well as a reward for taking on increased responsibility – such a worker has other specialists under their supervision. In the German education system, this qualification is called Meister or Techniker, which is comparable to the qualification of "technician" or "senior technician" obtained at a domestic college.
Among all workers, the highest salary is for an electrical technician. At DW's request, StepStone provided a list of the highest-paid blue-collar professions. Among them, in addition to electrical technician, are mechatronics fitter, electronics specialist, turner, tool mechanic, assembly technician, machinist, mechanical fitter, bricklayer.
A machinist in Germany earns an average of 43,600 euros. But low-wage workers include gardeners: a specialist in garden care and other landscaped objects earns just over 32,000 euros. One might assume that a gardener always has the opportunity to earn extra money, so to speak, through side jobs, but this can lead to trouble.
In its study, StepStone analyzed the salaries of about 85,000 specialists with vocational and higher education. Regardless of the industry, the size of the company always influences the salary. While corporations pay workers an average of 51,100 euros, companies with up to 500 employees are willing to offer a salary 20 percent lower.
The second factor influencing salary levels is geography. In Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, salaries for specialists with vocational education exceed 46,000 euros per year. It's a different story in the east of the country: in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the average salary of workers barely exceeds 31,000 euros. The difference is even more noticeable by city: while in Bremen such a specialist earns an average of about 54,500 euros, in Leipzig it is only 32,600 euros.