Overview

• Minimum Wage Commission will deliver its recommendation for the 2026–27 wage by June 30, and SPD leaders have signaled they may pursue legislation to secure a €15 rate if the panel falls short.
• Under the EU directive, Germany must set a full-time minimum wage at at least 60% of the median, a benchmark that would equate to roughly €15 per hour in 2026.
• Employer associations warn that raising the minimum to €15 could cut as many as 30% of low-wage positions, especially in construction and logistics.
• Studies of past wage hikes from 2015 to 2020 found negligible impacts on employment while boosting worker satisfaction.
• Recent polls indicate that over two-thirds of Germans support a €15 minimum wage even as experts debate whether an even higher rate is needed to ward off old-age poverty.