Wages increased less than anticipated in 2012. The report on 2012 collective bargaining, which will end this fall with a series of collective negotiations (agriculture, textile or transportation) isn’t formally done. Nevertheless, we already know that there have been substantial wage increases in 2012 in some sectors (4.5 percent in chemistry, 4.5 percent in the metal industry) compared with 2010 and 2011. After years of wage moderation, the trend has now been reversed. Yet, it is less important and more uneven than anticipated. Indeed, at the end of the year, the average wage increase should be between 2.6 and 2.9 percent, while inflation should be around 2.2 percent. Therefore, actual increases should be around 0.4-0.7 percent. However, as pointed out in the four-year government report on “Wealth and Poverty”, which will be published at the end of September, increases are extremely unevenly divided. While over 25 percent of workers (41.5 million people) are now agency and part-time workers and 1 in 5 German people earns less than €10/hour before tax (Destatis figures) – considered the threshold to poverty wages, the report points out that higher incomes increased while, “on the contrary, real earnings went down for 40 percent of workers.”
s (41.5 million people) are now agency and part-time workers and 1 in 5 German people earns less than €10/hour before tax (Destatis figures) – considered the threshold to poverty wages, the report points out that higher incomes increased while, “on the contrary, real earnings went down for 40 percent of workers.”
Key negotiations for 2013 and 2014.
Do you have information to share with us?