Almost one in five employed people in Germany worked in the low‑wage sector last year, announced the University of Duisburg‑Essen on Monday. Even though the statutory minimum wage has been raised to €12, roughly 7.2 million workers earned less than two‑thirds of the median wage.
Poverty risk among low‑wage employees is especially high. In 2022, 22.6 % of them were considered at risk of poverty, compared with just 7.3 % of all employed workers. In the late 1990s the figure was 9.3 %, far lower than today. According to the report, it is not only the wage that matters but also the number of hours worked.
Low wages disproportionately affect specific groups. Mini‑jobs are a key example, with almost four out of five mini‑jobgers earning below the low‑wage threshold. Younger workers, those with low qualifications and temporary employees also face higher risks. Among women 23.5 % work at low wages, and for foreign‑national employees the share rises to 28.4 %.
