Germany engineer salary
How much do engineers earn?
What does an engineering salary depend on? © ArtistGNDPhotography / iStock
Engineers in Germany earn well. But what does that mean exactly, and what factors play a particularly significant role when it comes to engineering salaries in academia and the industry? academics has compiled the numbers.
Published: 2023-10-10
By: Florian Heil, Maike Schade
How high are entry-level salaries for engineers?
According to the Association of German Engineers (VDI), entry-level engineering salaries in 2022 averaged 52,449 euros per year. But there are nevertheless significant differences depending on a number of different factors, including the position in question, industry, level of education and region within Germany.
Entry-level salaries by education level
Especially early on in an engineering career, earnings are heavily dependent on the level of education achieved.
Entry-level engineering salaries by education level
| Degree | Annual entry-level salary in euros (2022) |
|---|---|
|
Bachelor’s (university of applied sciences) |
47,600 |
|
Bachelor’s (university/institute of technology) |
48,400 |
|
Master’s (university of applied sciences) |
53,298 |
|
Master’s (university/institute of technology) |
53,750 |
|
Diploma (university of applied sciences) |
36,300 |
|
Diploma (university/institute of technology) |
51,000 |
How do engineer salaries develop as experience increases?
More years on the job generally translates to rising salaries – a truism that also applies to engineering. According to the VDI’s salary study, engineers with three to five years of professional experience across all industries earn a median salary of 60,000 euros per year. After 15 to 20 years on the job, engineers can expect to earn 85,000 euros annually (also a median value).
Engineer salaries according to experience (2022)
| Professional experience (years | Gross annual salary in euros (median) |
|---|---|
|
1 – 2 |
52,972 |
|
3 – 5 |
60,000 |
|
6 – 10 |
69,800 |
|
11 – 15 |
76,091 |
|
16 – 20 |
85,390 |
How much do engineers in academia earn?
Engineers who opt for academic careers are generally paid according to the Collective Agreement for Public Service Workers (TVöD) or the Collective Agreement for the States (TV-L).
Doctoral candidates and postdocs
Both agreements cover a total of 15 salary levels, with doctoral candidates and postdocs generally paid according to the Salary Group 13 (E13). Within each salary group, there are pay differences according to experience – such that a research assistant with no supervisory responsibilities, for example, earns between 4,200 and 6,100 euros per month.
Professors
For professors, whose salaries are determined by the W salary scale, the following earnings can be expected:
- W1 for junior professors: between approximately €4,600 and €5,300
- W2 for professors: between approximately €5,700 and €7,000
- W3 for professors in management positions: between approximately €6,500 and €8,000
Which industry pays the highest annual salaries?
When comparing engineering salaries, it is important to look at the different industries, since the sector in which engineers work has a greater influence on what they earn than does their specialty. That means that salaries earned are heavily dependent on sector.
According to the VDI, salaries are particularly good in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The lack of sufficient data makes the number somewhat unreliable, but the industry has historically led the way when it comes to engineer salaries. Vehicle manufacturing (54,188 euros) comes in second place, followed closely by the energy sector (52,192 euros gross salary per year) and the electronics industry (52,252 euros). In the fields of energy technology and IT, the association expects incomes to rise in the future as the result of high demand.
Engineers' salary by sector (2022)
| Sector | Annual gross salary for specialized and project engineers in euros (median) | Annual gross salary for project manager / leader in euros (median) |
|---|---|---|
|
Construction |
52,340 |
64,932 |
|
Chemical and pharmaceutical |
73,225 |
84,150 |
|
Electronics |
63,988 |
74,561 |
|
Energy |
60,372 |
79,150 |
|
Vehicle manufacturing |
65,000 |
83,000 |
|
Information technology (IT) |
60,000 |
71,324 |
|
Engineering / planning companies |
53,150 |
65,000 |
|
Mechanical engineering / plant construction |
60,000 |
72,200 |
Entry-level salaries by company size
There are also significant salary differences according to company size. Whereas entry-level engineers in companies with 1,000 employees or fewer earn an average annual gross salary of 50,000 euros, gross entry-level salaries at larger enterprises are at least 5,000 euros higher. Entry level engineers with a university degree who are hired by a large company can even expect to earn an average of 25 percent more.
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Where in Germany do engineers earn the most?
As in other fields of employment, engineer salaries also vary significantly by region in Germany. Accumulated data continues to reveal strong pay differences between the north and the south, and between the west and the east.
The highest annual incomes for engineers tend to be paid in Nuremberg and its surroundings, with median salaries of 66,200 euros, closely followed by the Stuttgart region and Düsseldorf. The large number of attractive employers in these regions is one reason for the higher salaries paid.
Engineer salaries by region (2022)
| Region | Gross annual salary in euros (average) |
|---|---|
|
Dresden |
56,500 |
|
Hamburg |
67,700 |
|
Berlin |
62,731 |
|
Hanover |
63,656 |
|
Bremen |
61,878 |
|
Düsseldorf |
64,112 |
|
Frankfurt (Main) |
71,840 |
|
Nuremberg |
70,296 |
|
Cologne |
65,612 |
|
Stuttgart |
74,785 |
|
Munich |
70,000 |
