Minimum wage increase: 660,000 people in Saxony and Thuringia benefit!

Minimum wage increase: 660,000 people in Saxony and Thuringia benefit!

The increase in the statutory minimum wage from January 1, 2026 is making big waves in Germany. The wage will be increased from the current 12.82 euros to 13.90 euros per hour. This particularly applies to the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, where up to 660,000 people could benefit from the increase. Employees in the manufacturing sector are particularly affected, where up to 100,000 people will have more money in their pockets. Around 60,000 employees in the “transport and warehousing” sector can also count on higher wages.

But what about the hospitality industry? In Saxony, up to 50,000 of a total of around 79,000 employees will receive a wage increase. However, there is no reliable data for the federal states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, which complicates the situation. This information is available from MDR, a survey by the state statistical offices from April 2024 forms the basis for these estimates.

The nationwide impact

Up to 6.6 million jobs throughout Germany will be affected by the minimum wage increase, with the focus clearly being in eastern Germany. Interestingly, the highest proportion of low earners can be found in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (22%) and Saxony (21%). The statistics also show that around one in five employed women and one in seven men could benefit from the wage increase. What is particularly worrying is that 59% of mini-jobbers earn less than 13.90 euros per hour, as do 16% of part-time workers and 6% of full-time workers.

In the hospitality industry, the higher minimum wage will ultimately affect around one million people, which accounts for an impressive 56% of all employees in this sector. In contrast, “Public administration, defense and social security” as well as “Education and teaching” show a much lower competent share: only 2% and 6% are supported here.

Future outlook

The minimum wage will be raised again in a second stage in 2027 to 14.60 euros per hour. According to the Federal Statistical Office, this could even benefit up to 1.7 million additional employees. Such developments create new perspectives for many employees in Germany. It will be interesting to see how this will affect the job market and people's incomes.

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