From January 1, 2025, Germany has introduced two important updates that will benefit students and job seekers. With the start of the new year, these changes include:

• Minimum Wage Increase: €12.82 per hour
  Mini-Job Salary Threshold: €556 per month

According to Studying-in-Germany, the annual increase in the minimum wage was estimated as Germany raised the legal minimum wage from €12.00 to €12.41 per hour last January 2024. Following this, at the beginning of this year, the minimum wage reached €12.82 per hour for full-time workers, resulting in a minimum monthly gross salary of €2,222 for full-time workers.

Over the past 10 years, Germany has seen an increase in the minimum wage almost every year, with no decrease in the amount. Since the introduction of the Minimum Wage Act in Germany in January 2015, the minimum salary has increased by 50% until January 2025.

Another change affects students who take on mini-jobs to ease their financial challenges. Until recently, the maximum monthly earning for mini-jobs was €538 or annually €6456. Starting January 1, 2025, this amount has increased to €556 monthly resulting in €6672 earnings per year.

This also benefits international students, who can legally work 20 hours per week. Mini-Jobs are available in both big cities and small towns across Germany and they offer students the opportunity to manage their studies while covering some of their expenses. Mini-jobs range across several different industries, including hospitality, retail, trade, domestic assistance, and babysitting.

As per the latest data available, students coming from Bulgaria ranked among the top 20 countries with the highest number of international students in Germany. According to data from the winter semester of 2020/21, there were a total of 5,752 Bulgarian students pursuing higher education in Germany.

These changes come together with other updates introduced before the 2024/2025 winter semester, making the new year exciting for those pursuing higher education or employment opportunities in Germany. For Mini-Jobbers, the new hourly rate of €12.82 means students and job-seekers can work approximately 43.3 hours per month to support their financial needs.

With one of the highest minimum salaries in Europe, and ranking among the top five strongest economies in the world, Germany also offers easier access to skilled professionals, resulting in an increasing number of foreign workers annually.

Source: Studying-in-Germany