Germany is known for its beer, sausages and beautiful castles. Not only is it a robust economy, it’s also famous for Oktoberfest and music composers. Today, it’s home to a highly skilled and qualified workforce. Let us show you why and how you can hire and manage your remote team from Germany.
If you’re considering hiring your next candidate in Germany, you’ve landed in the right place. After helping hundreds of businesses onboard their remote hires, we have achieved excellent expertise in the country. Our team of experts and tech solutions will make this incredibly easy for you.
Fast-track your talent onboarding while ensuring 100% compliance with local regulations
Calculate net salary in Germany post deductions and compare it with the salary in other countries instantly
Send laptops and other devices to your remote employees in Germany through our platform with just a few clicks
Receive process support by an experienced team of experts & pay your talent on time and in their local currency
Easily onboard your remote talent in Germany through our Employer of Record (EOR) solution. Our subsidiaries and network partners make this process fast and 100% compliant.
UTC+1
24 days
€12.41 hourly
EUR
09 days
Monthly
Germany's working professionals' greatness can be attributed to their expertise, precision, strong work ethic, collaborative nature, and commitment to continuous improvement. These qualities contribute to their economic success and its reputation as a global leader in various industries.
German professionals are known for their strong educational background and extensive training in their respective fields. The country's emphasis on quality education and vocational training produces highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals.
Germans are renowned for their precision and attention to detail, especially in industries like engineering, manufacturing, and automotive. This meticulous approach ensures the production of high-quality products and services.
Despite their reputation for precision, German professionals are also highly innovative and creative with a strong work ethic. They contribute to cutting-edge research and developments across various industries.
The Federal Republic of Germany is made up of 16 states (Bundesländer), that are guaranteed self-government except as otherwise provided by the Basic Law. Federal law takes precedence over state law. Geographically, Germany extends over 357,114 square kilometers. The country shares borders with Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. Ranked fourth globally, Germany is the leading economic power in Europe. The services sector accounts for 72% of the workforce, followed by the industrial sector at around 26.8%.
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Germany.
Berlin
83.22 M
19%
The Public Holidays Acts of the individual federal states determine the dates of public holidays in those states. Nine public holidays are legally protected nationwide.
Working on Sundays and statutory holidays is generally not permitted. There are a few exceptions to the rule depending on the regional administration or the job performed (e.g. jobs in the services industry). In cases where employees must work during Sundays and statutory holidays, permission must be sought from the local administration. An employee who has worked on a Sunday must be granted a day in lieu within two weeks. An employee who has worked on a public holiday is entitled to a day in lieu within eight weeks.
When planning on directing an employee to work on a Sunday or public holiday, always consult with WorkMotion first to check for potential legal implications.
The holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2025.
National Holidays | ||
|---|---|---|
Date | Holiday Name | Extra Information |
January 1 | New Year’s Day (Neujahr) |
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April 18 | Good Friday (Karfreitag) | Movable |
April 21 | Easter Monday (Ostermontag) | Movable |
May 1 | Labor Day (1 Mai) |
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May 29 | Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) | Movable |
June 9 | Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag) | Movable |
October 3 | Day of German Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) |
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December 25 | Christmas Day (Erster Weihnachtstag) |
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December 26 | 2nd Day of Christmas (Zweiter Weihnachtstag) |
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For more information on holidays in Germany, please visit the Federal Ministry of the Interior (Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat) website.
The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Germany is 2 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.
The working week is Monday to Saturday Hours of work vary between 38 and 48 hours, depending on the collective wage agreement. Companies can establish their own work schedules. For WorkMotion Germany, the work schedule is Monday to Friday.
A full-time employee who is not at an executive level may not exceed eight hours per day or 48 hours per week. Working time can only be extended up to 10 hours, provided within six calendar months or within 24 weeks an average of eight hours per working day is maintained. The following exceptions apply:
Expectant and nursing mothers, employees, or trainees under 18 years are not allowed to exceed eight hours per day.
Young workers are banned from working on Saturdays.
Night work is defined as work extending over more than two hours undertaken between 23:00 and 06:00. Night workers work eight hours a day. The hours can be extended to 10 hours daily provided they do not exceed an average of eight hours per day over four weeks or a calendar month.
If no provisions concerning compensation exist under a collective agreement, the employer must guarantee night workers an appropriate number of paid days off for the hours of work performed during the night, or an appropriate supplement over and above the gross wage due to them for such working hours.
Rest Periods
Rest periods are at least 30 minutes per day when an employee is working more than six hours but less than nine hours. When working nine or more hours, the rest period is at least 45 minutes. Rest periods can be divided into multiple 15-minute breaks.
After the end of daily hours of work, an employee must have at least 11 continuous hours of rest (i.e. between two working days).
Employees may not work on Sundays and bank holidays except in specific circumstances.
Recording of Working Hours
Employers are obligated to document employee working hours that exceed the normal working hours of eight hours per day.
For additional information on working hours, refer to the Working Time Act, the Maternity Protection Act, and the Young Workers Protection Act.
Overtime is strictly regulated in Germany. An employee should work the number of working hours stated in their contract. The working hours cannot surpass an average of 48 hours.
The employer and employee can agree on a trial period that can be a maximum of four months.
In Germany, notice can only be given by the end of the next applicable period. During probation, a notice period of two weeks applies. Post probation, the minimum statutory period is four weeks calculated from the 15th or the end of a month.
For the employer, after serving for two years, the notice periods served are based on the length of service. as summarized in the table below:
Years in service | Notice Period |
2 to less than 5 | 1 month |
5 to less than 8 | 2 months |
8 to less than 10 | 3 months |
10 to less than 12 | 4 months |
12 to less than 15 | 5 months |
15 to less than 20 | 6 months |
20 and above | 7 months |
The statutory minimum leave entitlement is 24 days per calendar year for six-day workweeks. Based on office days (Arbeitstage), the minimum leave is 20 office days per calendar year, not counting Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
Full entitlement to leave is acquired only after the employment relationship has been in existence for six months.
If the employee has been employed for at least four weeks and they were not to blame for their incapacity for work, continued payment of 100% of wages can be claimed from the employer for a period of up to six weeks.
The employee is required to submit a medical certificate issued by a doctor for an absence of at least three days.
After the expiry of continued payment by the employer, the employee is entitled to a sickness allowance paid by statutory health insurance. The allowance (70% of the employee’s last regular salary, but no more than 90% of the net earnings) is paid for up to 78 weeks (72 weeks if six weeks were already paid by the employer) over a period of three years (Krankenversicherungsträger).
The parents are entitled to unpaid parental leave until the child reaches the age of three. If the employer agrees, up to 12 months of that time can be postponed until the child reaches eight years of age.
Employees who have been continuously employed for at least six months, where a company has at least 15 employees, can work part-time during parental leave. An employee is also entitled to request the reduction of their working time to up to 30 hours per week during parental leave.
Maternity leave is six weeks before and eight weeks after birth, or 12 weeks in the event of multiple or premature births. Payments to the employee during maternity leave are made partly by the statutory health insurance provider and partly by the employer. The health insurance pays €13 per day during the period, and the employer contributes the difference to the amount of the average net salary (based on the previous three months).
There is no statutory paternity leave in Germany.
Employees with at least 6 months’ service get education leave for 5 days per year or 10 days in 2 years. The Länder have their own laws on educational leave which govern paid leave from work.
Employees have access to caregiver leave to look after close relatives in need of nursing care at home. This leave is granted for up to six months while being fully or partly released from employment.
The following social security deductions are payable by the employer:
* The amounts vary by the industrial sector.
The services of the state health insurance system are normally provided as cash benefits or as benefits in kind. Insured parties are entitled to:
State accident insurance is compulsory for workers. It covers accidents at work, accidents on the way directly to and from work, and the consequences of occupational diseases. The premium is determined according to respective risk classes within an industry.
If unemployment is a result of an accident at work or an occupational disease, and the employee’s ability to work is curtailed by at least 20% for more than 26 weeks following the event leading to the claim, they are eligible to receive a pension.
After having worked for at least 12 months in the last 30 months in Germany, the employee is entitled to receive unemployment benefits to the amount of 60-70% of the previous average income from the Federal Employment Agency for six months. The amount depends on the extent of the reduction in the employee’s fitness for work and their earnings over the 12 calendar months prior to the insurance claim. The duration of payments can be longer depending on the length of service.
The statutory retirement age is gradually increasing and for those born in 1964 or later, the statutory retirement age is 67. A special service pension is paid with 45 years of contribution at age 65 for those born in 1964 or later.
Participation in the public retirement insurance system is mandatory for employees. Employees with less than five years’ contributions earn no benefit. According to the type of pension, the qualifying period for pension entitlement varies. Insured parties can apply for an early pension from the age of 63 if they can prove 35 years of qualifying pension contributions. As compensation for the longer pension period, for each month up to the statutory retirement age (severely disabled people, up to 65), the pension is reduced by 0.3%.
If an accident at work or an occupational disease leads to the death of the insured person, the insurance will pay the funeral expenses (funeral payment).
If an employee dies following an accident at work or an occupational disease, a survivor’s pension is paid to the surviving spouse or civil partner.
