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Start with Germany’s Federal Employment Agency (BA), Make it in Germany and EURES to find vacancies; use the BA’s Entgeltatlas to compare occupation-specific gross-pay medians by region. For a fair comparison, keep the occupation, occupational level, geographic level and data year consistent. The BA’s figures are medians—not arithmetic averages or promises of what a new hire will earn.
Where to look for jobs in Germany
Use public job services as your starting point, then add direct employer searches and other relevant routes. No single portal covers every vacancy.
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- Federal Employment Agency (BA): Search its job listings and ask for help matching vacancies to your qualifications, understanding work requirements or reviewing application documents. The BA says its advice and support are free of charge.
- Make it in Germany: The federal government’s job-search guidance and listings include BA vacancies whose employers welcome applications from abroad. The portal also describes speculative applications and online profiles as possible routes.
- EURES: The EU job mobility portal lists vacancies across Europe and provides information on living and working conditions, adviser contacts and job fairs.
- Employer career pages and other portals: Search company websites using German terms such as “Stellenangebote,” “Karriere” and “Vakanzen.” Direct applications can help you find openings that are not prominent on general job boards.
- Recruitment agencies: A private agency may be another route, but it is not required. Make it in Germany advises checking any potential fees in advance and assessing the agency’s reputation.
Be cautious about suspicious offers. The BA advises not paying when you have doubts, not accepting a contract before the employer’s suitability has been checked or an interview has taken place, verifying contact details, and withholding personal data if you cannot establish who is contacting you.
How to compare salaries by region
Use the BA’s pay statistics and Entgeltatlas. Search for an occupation, then select Germany, a federal state or an available city. The interface includes locations such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne, Leipzig and Stuttgart. The BA statistics portal also links to regional wage maps, occupation comparisons and annual tables.
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- Choose the occupational category and level. Job titles are grouped into occupational aggregates. Check which group and occupational requirement level the tool displays; two similar-sounding titles may not map to the same category.
- Set the geographic level. Compare city with city, state with state, or national with national. A city result and a state result are different measures, not interchangeable views of the same population.
- Use the same data year. Confirm the year shown for each result. Occupational classifications can change, so check the displayed group as well as the year when comparing across time.
- Compare the median gross monthly wage. A median splits the observed group in half: half of its employees are below the figure and half above it. It is not an arithmetic average, a salary range, or an individual offer.
- Check what the result covers. BA wage statistics concern full-time employees subject to social-security contributions, measured at the 31 December reference date. Employer-reported wages are known only up to the pension-insurance contribution assessment ceiling; for 2025, that ceiling was €8,050 per month.
For an individual question such as “What is the average salary in Berlin for a software developer?”, use the Entgeltatlas result for the closest matching occupational group and describe it as the median, not an average in the strict statistical sense. Treat it as a benchmark for the observed workforce, whose composition, regional pay, collective agreements and employment histories all affect the result—not as a guaranteed starting salary.
What the latest regional figures show
The BA’s release of 20 July 2026 reports 2025 medians for full-time employees subject to social-security contributions, based on workplace location. These are all-worker regional figures, not occupation-specific rates.
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| Geography | 2025 median gross monthly wage |
|---|---|
| Germany | €4,217 |
| Hamburg | €4,768 |
| Baden-Württemberg | €4,546 |
| Hesse | €4,530 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | €3,294 |
| Thuringia | €3,307 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | €3,353 |
All figures in the table are from the Federal Employment Agency’s 2025 data, published in 2026. Nationwide, the median was €203 (5.1%) higher than in 2024. These totals can orient a search, but they cannot tell you what a particular occupation earns in a city or state; use occupation-specific Entgeltatlas results for that comparison. Read the BA’s release on 2025 wages.
Why a regional median may not answer every pay question
The Entgeltatlas can suppress an occupational or regional result when fewer than 500 employees support it. In some cases, it shows a similar grouping with enough observations instead. If a result appears broader than the job title you entered, check the occupational group before using it.
Annual BA wage tables offer further dimensions—such as workplace, occupation, qualification, working time, age, industry and employer size—that can help explain why regional medians differ. Those differences do not by themselves establish that one region offers better take-home pay or a higher standard of living. Gross wages alone do not account for taxes, deductions or local costs, and the cited BA sources do not provide a matched regional cost-of-living comparison.
For definitions and limitations, consult the BA’s Entgeltatlas help page.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Prepare an application for the roles you find
Read each vacancy for its required documents and apply directly to the employer, commonly by email or through its website. The BA recommends a tabular CV of no more than two pages, with the most recent experience first. Include relevant work history, qualifications, further training, internships and language skills, and provide certificates or certifications when requested. Some qualifications require official recognition.
Before applying or relocating, check whether the role requires a visa, qualification recognition or a particular level of German. Make it in Germany says applicants can organize the job search, visa application and travel arrangements themselves; its official information does not require using a service provider.
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For tailored help with matching jobs to your qualifications or reviewing application documents, contact the BA through its job-search guidance. Some special international projects may have eligibility limits.
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