Overview
- The Zeppelin Universität 'Public‑Pay' study published on August 19, 2026 finds Sparkassen board members had a median total direct pay of about €439,000 for the 2024 business year.
- Pay varies sharply by size with large Sparkassen averaging roughly €584,000 and small ones about €310,000, and the report lists top individual payouts such as Alexander Wüerst at about €1.06 million.
- Sparkassen executive pay rose roughly 5.3% in 2024 while median pay across the sampled public‑sector managers was about €186,000 and overall remuneration climbed near 4.1%.
- Researchers could compile person‑level pay for only about 2,139 managers out of 10,400 positions because most municipal companies do not publish individual salaries and only about one in five municipal firms disclose person‑based pay.
- The study records an unadjusted gender gap—median pay around €155,000 for women versus €193,000 for men (≈19.7%)—and its authors call for full, standardized disclosure so voters and overseers can assess fairness and hold public companies to account.