• Guide to positions
  • Study in Germany
  • PhD in Germany
  • Postdoc in Germany
  • Professor in Germany
  • Industry guide
  • Research & Development in Germany
  • Engineering in Germany
  • Thematic guide
  • Working in Germany
  • Working in Austria
  • Working in Switzerland
  • Higher education in Germany
  • Job profiles
  • Service range
  • Events
  • Employers
  • Graduate schools
  • Guide overview
Extended job search
Study in Germany PhD in Germany Postdoc in Germany Professor in Germany
Research & Development in Germany Engineering in Germany
Working in Germany Working in Austria Working in Switzerland Higher education in Germany Job profiles
Events Employers Graduate schools Guide overview
Log in Bookmarks For employers
academics - Logo
From
Die ZEIT - Logo
Forschung & Lehre - Logo
Career advice My academics Log in Bookmarks (0) Bookmarks For employers

Bioinformatician salary
How much do bioinformaticians earn?

Bioinformatician graduates are highly desirable specialists. But is this high demand also reflected in their salary? It all depends on their chosen career path.

Starting salaries for bioinformaticians are higher in the public sector than in industry © Imken / Photocase
Contents

Bioinformatics in Germany: A wide range of salaries

Career options for bioinformaticians are diverse. From the chemical industry to IT, there is a choice of various industries. There are also various possibilities for graduates in terms of content in this relatively new area of study. The range of salaries is correspondingly broad. They can earn anything between EUR 24,000 per year for at the start of their career to a gross annual salary of about EUR 70,000.

In general, a bioinformatician's salary depends on the nature of their degree and their prior professional experience. However, the sector also plays a role: In the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, earnings are usually more generous than in biotechnology and research. As a rule, the following applies: The bigger the company, the higher the salary. Ultimately, however, it always depends on the individual's ability to negotiate the amount on the payroll.

In the public sector, bioinformaticians are paid in accordance with the current collective agreement (TVöD). In this sector, salaries are generally lower than those paid by businesses. Unlike in the private sector, employees are unlikely to obtain a higher salary on the basis of their bargaining skills, as the public sector pays on the basis of fixed salary scales.

Factors that influence salary:

  • Degree
  • Professional experience & qualifications
  • Location
  • Size of company
  • Sector
  • Field of activity
  • Negotiating skills (if the salary is not collectively established)

Starting salary for bioinformaticians 

Although bioinformaticians are sought after in the labour market, young professionals at the beginning of their careers are often forced to settle for a comparatively low salary. This is particularly true for applicants with a bachelor's degree. They start in the sector with a monthly salary of about EUR 2,000 to EUR 2,400 gross. Graduates with a master’s degree can expect to earn EUR 2,300 to EUR 2,800 gross in their first job.

In the public sector, bachelor’s graduates are given pay grades E 9 to E 12, while bioinformaticians with a master’s degree or PhD are paid at grades E 13 to E 15. The pay grade is often specified in the job description. What the classification means in terms of specific figures depends on the specific collective agreement. The TVöD Bund applies to employment relationships with the federal government. If the employer is a federal state, for example when working at a university, the collective agreement for the civil service of the federal states (TV-L) applies. There are corresponding pay scales for both collective agreements.

Two specific examples:

  • B.Sc. bioinformatician, pay grade 10, level 1 (= beginner), employed in the civil service by a federal state: EUR 3,089.22 gross per month
  • M.Sc. bioinformatician, pay grade 13, level 1 (= beginner), employed by the federal government: EUR 3,827.03 gross per month

(as of February 2019)

The starting salaries for bioinformaticians are therefore usually higher in the civil service than in the private sector. However, this often reverses with increasing work experience. Remuneration in the public sector increases gradually over the duration of the employment relationship. But the levels of development often lag behind the salaries that bioinformaticians can achieve in the private sector once they have some work experience.

Salaries for bioinformaticians with work experience

With increasing work experience bioinformaticians become more qualified and generally tend to take on more responsibility. This is reflected in their salary. According to data provided by the portal Steuerklassen.com, bioinformaticians can expect a monthly starting salary of EUR 3,100 to EUR 3,700 gross. Note, however, that the factors mentioned here can result in outliers - at both the top and bottom of the range.

The nationwide average salary can be used for rough orientation: According to the portal Gehaltsvergleich.com, bioinformaticians in Germany earn a monthly average of EUR 4,527 gross. In general, those who continue to participate in regular training, take on more responsibility and are able to negotiate well tend to achieve higher salaries.

Regional salary differences

Salaries are usually higher in southern Germany than in the rest of the country. Workers in cities and metropolitan areas also usually tend to receive higher salaries than in the countryside - although the cost of living is lower in these areas. This general trend also applies to the salaries of bioinformaticians, as shown in the table below.


Average salary for bioinformaticians by federal state
Federal state First quartile* Average Third quartile
Germany EUR 3,543 EUR 4,527 EUR 7,070
Baden-Wuerttemberg EUR 3,352 EUR 4,385 EUR 9,689
Bavaria EUR 3,395 EUR 4,515 EUR 6,842
Berlin EUR 4,045 EUR 4,726 EUR 4,904
Brandenburg EUR 2,797 EUR 3,573 EUR 5,581
Bremen EUR 3,488 EUR 4,457 EUR 6,960
Hamburg EUR 3,265 EUR 4,599 EUR 6,927
Hesse EUR 3,938 EUR 4,540 EUR 4,692
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern EUR 2,690 EUR 3,438 EUR 5,370
Lower Saxony EUR 3,812 EUR 4,203 EUR 4,383
North Rhine-Westphalia EUR 3,998 EUR 4,276 EUR 5,447
Rhineland-Palatinate EUR 3,723 EUR 4,758 EUR 7,431
Saarland EUR 3,366 EUR 4,301 EUR 6,716
Saxony EUR 2,832 EUR 3,619 EUR 5,651
Saxony-Anhalt EUR 2,795 EUR 3,571 EUR 5,578
Schleswig-Holstein EUR 3,128 EUR 3,997 EUR 6,242
Thuringia EUR 2,872 EUR 3,669 EUR 5,731
* 25% of salaries are below this value, ** 25% of salaries are above this value
Source: Gehaltsvergleich.com (as of February 2019)
© academics

High salaries in management positions and positions with supervisor responsibilities

Those with a high level of responsibility are remunerated accordingly. A PhD is often a prerequisite for management positions. But it pays off: Top earners among bioinformaticians in the private sector earn a gross monthly salary of more than EUR 7,000. However, these top salaries are the exception rather than the rule. The value for the third quartile in the table above provides a rough guide.

Salary factors - company size and sector

The size of the company is also an important factor when determining salary levels in many cases: Small and medium-sized companies are usually unable to match the salaries paid by large companies to their employees. The average monthly gross salary of a bioinformatician in companies with...

  • ... up to 500 employees is EUR 4,337
  • ... 501 to 1,000 employees is EUR 4,692
  • ... of over 1,000 employees is EUR 5,160

Source: Gehaltsvergleich.com

Large companies in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors and in medical technology sector usually pay more than average. In biotechnology, however, salaries for bioinformaticians are often relatively low. It is possible for employees to achieve a salary jump by switching to a different sector.

Doctoral bioinformatics graduates: Clear salary structure during PhD studies in Germany

Due to the relatively recent history of their discipline, bioinformaticians often do genuinely pioneering work in science. At best, this brings fame and glory, but in terms of salary, doctoral bioinformatics graduates in academic research lag far behind their fellow students who gain a foothold in the private sector after graduation. 

Graduates who complete their PhD studies in the traditional way at a university or at a publicly funded research institution are paid according to the applicable collective agreement for the civil service. They are usually also classified at pay grade E 13, experience level 1. Depending on the employer, this gives the following monthly gross salary:

Salary of bioinformatics PhD students in Germany
TVöD TV-L (federal states) TV-H (Hesse)
E 13, level 1 EUR 3,827.03 EUR 3,672.02 EUR 3,676.76
Source: TVöD Bund, TV-L, TV-H (as of February 2019)
© academics

This salary may be increased through research grants or scholarship programs.

Although doctoral candidate positions for bioinformatics in the private sector can be difficult to find, they usually offer better pay.

Don't miss out on any new jobs

With our Job-Mail, you will receive suitable job ads as well as interesting content matching your search profile  on a weekly basis.

Current search terms: Bioinformatics
After registering, you will be able to adjust your profile.
Please enter an email address in a valid format.
You can stop your Job-Mail subscription at any time, e.g. by sending an email to info@academics.com. We also use your email address to send you advertisements for similar offers from the ZEIT publishing group. You can withdraw your consent to this use at any time. By registering, you declare your agreement with our terms & conditions and take note of our privacy policy.

Salaries for bioinformaticians in research in Germany

In many cases, the comparatively low income while studying for a PhD is compensated for during the course of the PhD-holder’s career, as a PhD is required for many highly paid management positions. If bioinformaticians are awarded a professorship after graduation, they are paid according to the W-salary for professors. For a junior professorship, the starting salary (grade W1), depending on the employer, is around EUR 4,500 per month. Higher up the pay scale W3, employees can earn monthly salaries of more than EUR 7,000. Specific figures for employees in the individual states and at the federal level can be found in the article "What does a professor earn?". 

Without a professorship, e.g. a postdoctoral position, salaries at universities and non-university research institutions tend to be lower. The federal collective agreement for the civil service (TVöD Bund) or the federal states (TV-L or TV-H for Hesse) has established the following classifications:

  • Research associate: E 13 (basic pay level 1 approximately EUR 3,600 to 3,800) 
  • Junior and research group leader: E 14 or E 15 (basic pay level 1 approximately EUR 3,900 to 4,600)


Authors
Tanja Viebrock
Source
academics.com - April 2019

Share
Bioinformatics: jobs and vacancies in Germany
  • Full Professor of Ambient Assisted Living & Medical Assistance Systems

    2023-03-07 University of Bayreuth Bayreuth
    Full Professor of Ambient Assisted Living & Medical Assistance Systems - University of Bayreuth - Logo
  • PostDoc (f/m/d) Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology

    2023-03-02 Universitätsmedizin Göttingen (UMG) Göttingen
    PostDoc (f/m/d) Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology - Universitätsmedizin Göttingen (UMG) - Logo
  • Scientist (m/f/div) or Engineer (m/f/div) in Genomics

    2023-03-13 Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Köln
    Scientist (m/f/div) or Engineer (m/f/div) in Genomics - Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research - Logo
To all jobs for bioinformaticians

Related articles

What physicists earn: Salary and influencing factors

Physicists working in the private sector can expect a salary significantly higher than average. If physicists remain in teaching and research, diverse opportunities are available, but are associated with a fairly average income.

Career goal professorship: self-presentation in assessment lectures

Career goal professorship: a successful assessment lecture can be the crucial factor in clinching a professorship. What do´s and don´ts should be observed?

Professional spotlight: Research consultant

Research consultants work in research without the professional risks of a career in academia. The opportunities are often more diverse and promising.

Will my spouse be allowed to work in Germany?

Husbands or wives of research fellows are allowed to work when the research fellow is entitled to take up gainful employment or when they have been living together as a married couple in Germany for at least two years.

Academics
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Legal notice
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies & Tracking
  • Partners
  • Job-Mail
  • academics.de
For Employers
  • Post a job
  • Mediapack
  • Terms and conditions
You can also visit us at
academics - Logo From Die ZEIT - Logo Forschung & Lehre - Logo Deutscher Hochschulverband
Data privacy
Please deactivate your ad-block plugins to edit your permissions regarding cookies and tracking.