Moving to Germany as a Skilled Worker: What the Salary Data Shows by Role

Why your salary offer matters before you even apply

When you're offered a job in Germany from outside the EU, the number attached to that offer is worth checking against what employers are actually paying in that occupation. Across Germany, job postings on NewLuxJob show a median salary of 38,084 euros, with the middle half of postings ranging from 30,240 to 52,800 euros, based on 3,180 job postings. That gives a general picture of where pay sits across all roles combined, before you narrow it down to your own occupation.

Office and professional roles: software, engineering and data

For software developers, 131 job postings on NewLuxJob show a median salary of 62,000 euros, with the middle half between 48,750 and 80,000 euros. Engineering roles sit a step higher: across 292 postings, the median is 71,250 euros, with a middle-half range of 54,600 to 90,000 euros. Data analyst roles, based on 67 postings, show a median of 60,000 euros, though the middle half spans a noticeably wider range, from 27,540 to 77,150 euros, so the occupation alone doesn't tell you much without the range attached.

Finance-adjacent roles follow a similar pattern. Accountants and auditors, drawn from 306 postings, have a median of 52,440 euros and a middle half of 42,125 to 71,500 euros, while finance roles more broadly, from 129 postings, post a median of 52,000 euros with a middle half of 39,000 to 60,000 euros. Management roles, the largest group here at 682 postings, show a median of 58,102 euros, with a middle half of 45,000 to 75,000 euros.

Healthcare and skilled trades: a different pay picture

Not every in-demand occupation in Germany comes with an office-role salary. Nurse and healthcare postings, 508 in total, show a median of 43,680 euros, with a middle half of 33,792 to 53,004 euros. Skilled trades sit lower again: electricians, from 380 postings, have a median of 36,960 euros and a middle half of 32,760 to 45,000 euros, while mechanics, from 715 postings, show a median of 36,120 euros with a middle half of 31,920 to 42,000 euros.

If you're weighing a trades-based route into Germany against an office-based one, the pay bands are simply different, and an offer in a trade role should not be measured against the figures for software or engineering.

Checking the visa side of the move

Salary ranges only tell you half the story. Germany sets its own rules for which visa category applies to qualified professionals from outside the EU, and those rules, including any salary conditions, depend on your occupation, qualifications and the specific route you apply under. The official source for this is make-it-in-germany.com, and it's worth checking directly for the categories and current requirements that apply to your situation rather than relying on general salary figures alone.

A quick way to sanity check your offer

Before you commit to relocating, compare the offer you've received to the median and middle-half range for your own occupation: 62,000 euros for software developers, 71,250 euros for engineers, 52,440 euros for accountants and auditors, or 43,680 euros for nurse and healthcare roles, for example. If your offer sits well below the middle half for your occupation, that's a reasonable prompt to ask the employer more questions, and to double check the visa requirements on the official site, before you commit to the move.