- Journeyman wages in Germany in 2026: 16 to 25 euros gross per hour, depending on trade and collective agreement
- Master tradesperson wages: 28 to 38 euros gross per hour, depending on trade and region
- General minimum wage from January 2026: 13.90 euros/h (BMAS)
- This is the wage, not the customer hourly rate: what the customer pays is usually 60 to 85 euros
This article is about Germany. Wages, collective agreements, minimum wages, and sources refer to the German labor market.
4,125 euros gross per month: that is what a full-time employee with vocational training earns on average across industries in Germany (Destatis, April 2025). In the trades, many earn less, while businesses bound by collective agreements in construction or electrical trades sometimes pay significantly more. This article shows hourly wages by trade and qualification.
What the business charges the customer is a different number: that is covered in the article on the hourly charge-out rate.
What Does a Tradesperson Earn per Hour in Germany?
Three columns, three numbers:
- Sectoral minimum wage (legal lower limit)
- Journeyman tariff wage (what collectively bound businesses actually pay)
- Master tradesperson wage (orientation value, no separate collective agreement).
If a business is not bound by a collective agreement, it must still pay at least the statutory minimum wage unless a higher sectoral minimum wage applies.
| Trade | Sectoral minimum wage 2026 | Journeyman tariff wage | Master tradesperson wage (orientation value) |
| Main construction trade (bricklayers, carpenters) | 15.61 EUR/h (LG1) | 23.97 EUR/h (LG3, from 04/2026) | 28 to 34 EUR/h |
| Electrical trade | 14.93 EUR/h | approx. 19.50 EUR/h (skilled worker E6, Bavaria) | 28 to 35 EUR/h |
| Roofing | 16.60 EUR/h (journeyman, from 01/2026) | 19 to 22 EUR/h | 27 to 33 EUR/h |
| Carpentry northwest | 13.90 EUR/h (general minimum wage) | 19.94 EUR/h (standard wage, from 02/2026) | 27 to 32 EUR/h |
| HVAC (sanitary, heating, air conditioning) | 13.90 EUR/h (general minimum wage) | 19 to 23 EUR/h (IG Metall, +2.95 % from 03/2026) | 28 to 36 EUR/h |
| General minimum wage | 13.90 EUR/h (from 01/2026) | applies to all sectors without a higher sectoral minimum wage |
Sources: BMAS minimum wage information 2026 | IG BAU collective agreement for main construction 2026 | BMAS tariff data sheet for electrical trade Bavaria | ZVDH roofing trade collective result | IG Metall Niedersachsen-Anhalt carpentry northwest
Tariff Wage vs. Minimum Wage: What Applies Where?
13.90 euros/h from January 2026
That is the statutory minimum wage (BMAS). It is a lower limit, not a benchmark. In construction, electrical trades, and roofing, generally binding collective agreements apply: even businesses without union membership must pay the agreed rates. In these trades, tariff wage vs. minimum wage is not a theoretical distinction. It is mandatory.
A concrete example: in the main construction trade, the tariff wage for wage group 3 (qualified skilled worker) has been 23.97 euros/h since April 2026. That is around 72 percent above the statutory minimum wage. Anyone saying "pay minimum wage" here would undercut the collective agreement.
There is also an east-west gap. According to Destatis, tradespeople in eastern Germany earn around 17 percent less than in western Germany. IG BAU is gradually aligning this in the construction sector. Since April 2026, this alignment process has been underway.
Master Tradesperson Wage vs. Journeyman Wage: How Large Is the Difference?
The German Federal Statistical Office reports for April 2025: full-time employees with vocational training earn around 4,125 euros per month across all industries. Employees with a master, technician, or trade school qualification earn around 5,405 euros.
Important: These are cross-sectional values across all industries, not figures specifically for the trades.
Many trade occupations are below this, while collectively bound businesses in construction or electrical trades are sometimes above it. Converted to an hourly basis (37.5-hour week): around 24 euros for journeymen, 31 to 32 euros for master tradespeople.
Apprentices start at the beginning of this scale. The statutory BIBB minimum training allowance 2026 states:
- Training year 1: 724 euros/month
- Training year 2: 854 euros/month
- Training year 3: 977 euros/month
- Training year 4: 1,014 euros/month
Many businesses pay more, especially in trades with a shortage of young talent.
Fact: BIBB values are statutory lower limits, not orientation values for businesses bound by collective agreements.
Hourly Wage Is Not the Hourly Rate: The Difference in Numbers
| Perspective | Amount per hour | What is behind it |
| What the journeyman earns | 19.50 EUR gross | Gross wage according to the electrical trade collective agreement |
| What the business pays | approx. 26 EUR | Gross wage + employer social security contribution (approx. 20 %) + trade association insurance + levies |
| What the customer pays | 68 to 80 EUR net | Labor costs + overheads (vehicle, rent, tools) + profit |
Factor three: that is the typical distance between employee wage and customer hourly rate. The reason is not profit margin alone, but the unproductive hours that still have to be paid: travel, setup time, administration, sickness. The business pays these hours but recovers them through the customer hourly rate.
Current hourly rates by trade are listed in the article What does a tradesperson's hour cost? 2026 overview.
The article Calculating the hourly charge-out rate: formula and example shows how to calculate your own hourly charge-out rate correctly.
How Are Wages Developing in the Trades?
13.90 euros/h in 2026, 9.50 euros/h in 2021. Around 46 percent more in five years. That is not normal wage growth. Two patterns are emerging:
- The statutory minimum wage rises regularly. Collective agreements in construction, electrical trades, and roofing go beyond it and create their own momentum. For most trades, the statutory minimum wage is therefore no longer a relevant benchmark, but a lower limit that hardly anyone hits.
- The consequence for business owners: rising wages increase labor costs, non-wage labor costs rise proportionally, and so does the cost-covering hourly charge-out rate. Anyone who has not adjusted their customer hourly rate for three years may be calculating below the price floor.
| Year | Minimum wage | Increase vs. previous year |
| 2021 | 9.50 EUR/h | |
| 2022 | 10.45 EUR/h (from July: 12.00 EUR/h) | +26 % (jump due to introduction of new level) |
| 2023 | 12.00 EUR/h | 0% (no increase because it had already been raised in July 2022) |
| 2024 | 12.41 EUR/h | +3.4 % |
| 2025 | 12.82 EUR/h | +3.3 % |
| 2026 | 13.90 EUR/h | +8.4 % |
Source: BMAS
Conclusion
Fact: journeyman wages in 2026 range from 16.60 euros (roofing minimum wage) to 23.97 euros (main construction trade LG3). Master tradespeople earn 28 to 38 euros gross. This is what the employee earns, not what the customer pays.
If you have not calculated your hourly charge-out rate yet: Calculating the hourly charge-out rate: formula and example.
