Germany’s minimum wage 2026 rises to €13.90 EUR/hour starting January 1, 2026, up from €12.82 EUR/hour previously. This is a substantial increase, affecting the earnings floor for millions of workers, including foreign workers employed in Germany.
How Germany’s minimum wage 2026 is changing
From January 1, 2026, the statutory minimum wage (Mindestlohn) is €13.90 EUR/hour before tax. This rate will rise further to €14.60 EUR/hour from January 1, 2027, under a two-step schedule.
The adjustment is proposed by the Minimum Wage Commission (Mindestlohnkommission), with participation from representatives of employers, trade unions and the government.
Significance for skilled-worker immigrants
The minimum wage sets the earnings floor for most jobs, including the part-time work of international students and Ausbildung trainees. As the wage floor rises, workers’ actual income also improves.
For higher-salary categories such as the EU Blue Card, the salary threshold is already well above the minimum wage, so it is not directly affected. According to the official Make it in Germany portal of the German Government, each visa category has its own minimum salary requirement.
What you need to keep in mind
If you plan to go to Germany under a vocational training or general labor route, check the salary stated in your contract against the new rate. The salary stated in the contract must not be lower than the statutory minimum wage.
To understand the skilled pathways in Germany, you can refer to the article EU Blue Card 2026 and Ausbildung Germany 2026. The M2W team will update this when there are new changes.
Read more: Overview of migrating to Germany · Accelerated skilled worker procedure in Germany (Section 81a)
