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2h ago

East–West Wage Gap Narrows but Persists at 17% in 2024, WSI Finds

Convergence has been driven by minimum‑wage increases, with weaker tariff coverage linked to persistent gaps higher up.

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35 Jahre nach der deutschen Einheit hat sich der Anteil erwerbstätiger Frauen in Ost und West angeglichen. 2024 waren sowohl in den östlichen als auch in den westlichen Bundesländern 74 Prozent der Frauen berufstätig, wie das Statistikamt mitteilte. 
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Overview

  • Full-time workers earned €4,810 a month in the West versus €3,973 in the East in 2024, reflecting a 17.4% gap, according to WSI.
  • The gap has shrunk by 7 percentage points since 2014 after years of slow progress between 1999 and 2014 when it narrowed by only 1.6 points.
  • At the bottom of the distribution wages are nearly aligned, with April 2024 hourly pay at €12.87 in the East and €13.00 in the West.
  • Larger differences persist in the middle and upper ranges, including an 11.7% gap at the median and 19.3% in the second-highest decile.
  • Lower collective-bargaining coverage in the East (41.7% versus 50.0% in the West) is cited as a key drag, and planned minimum-wage rises to €13.90 in 2026 and €14.60 in 2027 are expected to drive further convergence.