Vacation remains a costly affair. Even under the terms of collective agreements, not all employees can count on a subsidy.
Almost half of the collective bargaining employees in Germany are receiving holiday pay in these weeks. The Federal Statistical Office reports a share of 46.8 percent, which has not changed since the previous year. On average, employees receive an extra gross amount of 1,644 euros, which represents an increase of 42 euros or 2.6 percent compared to the previous year.
During the same period, prices for package holidays rose by 5.6 percent, as the statisticians note. However, the collectively agreed special payment is not tied to the fact that it is actually spent on vacation. It was not determined whether employees who are not covered by collective agreements also received vacation pay.
In the West, on average, significantly more
In West Germany, full-time employees on collective agreements receive an average of 1,692 euros in holiday pay, which is significantly more than people in the East receive 1,196 euros. This may be due to the different wage levels, as holiday pay is often set in collective agreements as a percentage of a normal monthly salary. However, there are also fixed amounts.
Depending on the collective agreement, the groups of people entitled to benefits vary greatly. 96.9 percent of those employed in the manufacturing industry who are covered by a collective agreement receive holiday pay averaging 2,304 euros. Special payments are also widespread in the construction industry (95 percent) and the hospitality industry, but are lower.
There is 2,722 euros in holiday pay in the information and communication sector, but only about half of the employees actually benefit from it. The lowest holiday pay, an average of 326 euros, is received by people working for temporary employment agencies.
In the “Public administration, defense; social insurance” sector, employees covered by collective agreements do not receive holiday pay. Here, the special payment was merged with the Christmas bonus in 2005 to form a single annual special payment.
Destatis communication holiday allowance 2024
Source: Stern
