Overview

• Career-platform data cited by Focus and reported by tz.de put average annual pay at Volkswagen at €69,121 and at BMW at €64,866, versus a sector average of €53,474.
• Role-specific figures underscore the gap: engineers earn about €86,500 at BMW and €85,000 at VW, project managers about €85,100 at BMW and €82,900 at VW, and software developers about €76,400 at BMW and €71,300 at VW.
• Companies are trimming bonuses and benefits to save costs, while BMW production workers still receive substantial vacation and Christmas pay and saw a 113% success participation for 2024 in Leipzig, with profit-sharing described as variable.
• Personnel recruiter Alexander Stanek says many former auto employees expect legacy-level pay for shorter hours, a mismatch he describes as out of step with today’s hiring market and fewer postings.
• Industry pressure continues with around 51,500 auto jobs cut over the past year, relocation of work to lower-wage countries such as Poland, Hungary, Mexico and China, and a Porsche EV slowdown that puts roughly 200 jobs at a subsidiary at risk.