Germany: one of the biggest low-wage sectors in Europe

In 2010, 22.2 percent of German employees received a low income.  Germany has the 7th biggest low-wage sector in the EU.  This is the result of a new study released on June 10 by the WSI Institute of Economic and Social Research of the Hans-Böckler union foundation.  As a consequence, each year, the State pays substantial sums to help employees who can’t live with their salary alone.  (Ref.  130390)
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8 million low-paid people. Several studies have confirmed what German unions have been saying for years: the German low-wage sector is on the rise. Thorsten Schulten wrote the WSI’s “2013 minimum wage report.” He says that over 1 in 5 German employees, i.e. 22.2 percent (about 8 million) of Germans received, in 2010, a ‘low income,’ defined as lower than two-thirds of average pay across the entire population. The WSI’s researcher used Eurostat statistics and say that Germany has the 7th lar

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