Talent after 45: Without new responsibilities, salaries stagnate

On average, only 50 percent of specialists and executives in Germany can increase their salary over the course of their careers. 

By far the largest salary jumps take place in the first half of one's working life: while 18 to 30-year-old skilled workers earn on average €43,400, 31- to 40-year-olds already receive a salary of €56,400 - a difference of about 30 percent. At the age of 41 to 50 years, the salary increase is then only half as high (15.6 percent), and after that? Minimal. 

These are the results of a recent analysis of the StepStone salary plan, which is based on 200,000 data records. 

Large salary jumps for executives 

A look at the skilled workers without management responsibility shows that here, too, the greatest jump in wages comes during the first phase. While 18 to 30-year-olds earn an average of €41,900, the salary among 31- to 40-year-olds rises to around €51,900 euros and thus by 23.8 percent. 

In the further-on stretch of an individual's career, only lower salary increases of about four percent tend to be the norm - and that's only up to the age of 50 years. On the other hand, the salary for skilled workers with management responsibilities are still developing very dynamically in the late working life. Those who take on lower-level personnel responsibility from the age of 31 onwards increase their salary by almost 40 percent on average. For those that see a promotion into middle-management after 41, that number again hovers at about 37 percent.

"If you are not in a leading position in your mid-40s but still want to earn more, you can positively influence your salary with a job change. Our analysis shows that even with advancing age, a new job can lead to increases of around 3 percent. Another option is to invest specifically in further education and specialization. Those who continue to train in specific business-related areas are more attractive to employers and have good case for their next salary negotiation."

André Schaefer, salary expert, StepStone

StepStone offers a convenient salary calculator on its German site, and current information on studies related to careers, recruitment, the job market and more are also available.

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