Overview

• The DGB estimates social insurers miss about €41 billion annually and public budgets forgo roughly €24 billion in income tax.
• The calculation draws on a special reanalysis of the federal earnings survey to compare pay for workers with and without sectoral agreements.
• Employees without agreements take home an average €2,891 less per year, rising to €3,451 in the East, and universal coverage would lift purchasing power by about €58 billion.
• The union says only about half of employees are covered, with the new tally slightly below the €130 billion recorded in 2023 due to modest regional gains.
• The government has advanced a draft procurement law that would condition federal awards from €50,000 on tariff terms, including pay, holiday and rest-time rules.