While skilled professionals in Germany‘s construction and energy sectors enjoy relatively high salaries, many remain open to changing employers, according to Hays’ Salary Report Construction and Energy 2026.
The report, which is based on a survey of 1,160 skilled professionals conducted during the first quarter of this year, found that higher incomes are associated with greater satisfaction with pay, but do not necessarily translate into employee retention.
Among skilled workers, more than a quarter (28%) said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their income, rising to 38% among managers. However, around 40% of skilled workers who viewed their income positively said they could still consider changing jobs for a higher salary.
The willingness to change employer was particularly high among project managers, at up to 84%, while 67% of managers on average said they were open to changing jobs.
“The construction and energy industries need specialists and managers for key future tasks – from the energy transition and infrastructure to digitalisation,” commented Martin Honerbom, construction and energy industry expert at Hays.
“Those who are responsible for these transformations as project managers and experts are currently earning particularly well – but these groups are also especially willing to change jobs, as they are currently receiving very good offers.”
Average salaries
The energy sector recorded higher average salaries than construction for both skilled workers and managers. Skilled workers in energy earned an average of €62,000 per year, compared with €53,600 in construction. Among managers, average salaries were €80,000 in energy and €67,200 in construction.
Project managers recorded average salaries of €71,900, followed by construction managers at €67,900. Architects earned approximately €58,500, while assembly workers and service technicians had average incomes of around €45,000.
Among managers, branch and location heads had the highest average salary at €85,300. Department heads earned €70,900 on average, while team leaders earned €63,700 and division heads €99,500, Hays noted.
Company size was another factor. Skilled workers at large companies earned an average of €62,400, compared with €50,700 at small businesses.
Hays also explored the level to which qualifications were associated with higher pay. Skilled workers with a master craftsman’s or technician’s qualification earned an average of €56,100, around 21% more than those with traditional vocational training, at €46,500. Average earnings rose to €59,100 for workers with a bachelor’s degree and €65,100 for those with a master’s degree.
Additional benefits were offered by 94% of companies surveyed. Christmas and holiday bonuses were the most common, provided by 49% of companies, followed by company pension schemes at 45%. Around half also offered variable salary components, which Hays said could increase income by up to 30%, particularly at larger companies.
Regional factors
Regional and gender differences were also evident, Hays noted. Skilled workers in western Germany earned 13% more on average than those in eastern Germany. Baden-Württemberg recorded the highest average salary at €62,600, followed by Bavaria at €61,900 and Hamburg at €60,700.
Elsewhere, the report also found differences between male and female earnings, with women with vocational qualifications earning 9% less on average and women with master’s-level qualifications earning 11% less than men.
Finally, while 55% of skilled workers said they wanted transparent salary structures, 27% described the structures at their companies as ‘not very transparent’ or ‘not transparent at all’. Read more here.
