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Labour input, gross wages and salaries

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National Reference Metadata in Euro SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS)

Compiling agency: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (DESTATIS)

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This indicator is part of the overall STS indicator system which supports business cycle observation. The results show the evolution of gross wages and salaries in industrial activities, construction activities and in the enterprises of NACE division 47 and active in “other services“ (according to annex D of the EBS regulation).

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36: Labour input data are compiled at the 4-digit level of NACE Rev. 2 and are calculated for MIGS (Main Industrial Groupings) and for the NACE Rev. 2 Sections as well as 2- and 3-digit levels.

NACE Rev. 2 Section F: Data are compiled at the 4-digit level of NACE Rev. 2 and are calculated for NACE Rev. 2 Sections.

Regional figures are published by the regional Statistical Offices (Statistical Offices of the German States (Länder)) at a more aggregated level.

16 May 2025

Wages and salaries correspond to the total gross earnings excluding social contributions paid by the employer. These data include salary supplements in cash or in kind, payments for hours not worked, wages and salaries paid in case of sick leave, allowances paid by the employer for sick leave or holiday, bonuses, profit sharing, family allowances, as well as saving premiums paid by the employer. They exclude social charges paid by the employer, payment of short-time work (in case of temporary lay-off), and early retirement allowances.

In Sections B and C local units with 50 or more persons employed are surveyed. In Section D to E36 local units with less than 20 persons employed are only surveyed if they belong to an enterprise employing 20 persons or more (also for the underlying survey from section F).

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36: Local units report the wages and salaries, which are then estimated for the corresponding local-kind-of-activity units.

NACE Rev. 2 Section F: Local unit

NACE Rev. 2 divisions G45, G46 and G47, sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): Legal unit

All relevant statistical units in NACE Sections B to C according to the Business Register: ~24,000 legal units (2023).

All relevant statistical units in NACE Section F "construction" according to the Business Register: ~390,000 legal units (2023)

All relevant statistical units in NACE Divisions G45 and G46 Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3) according to the Business Register: ~1.8 million units (2014)

All relevant statistical units in NACE division 47 "Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles" according to the Business Register: ~364,000 units (2014)

Country as a whole.

Labour input outside the geographical territory of Germany is not included in the data.

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36: Month.

NACE Rev. 2 Section F, remaining NACE codes: Calendar quarter

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36, F: Deviations between the preliminary and the final results are marginal.

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45, G46 and G47, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): The estimation model is considered accurate enough for contribution to European aggregates, but not for stand- alone national publication.

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36: Index based on the evolution of gross wages and salaries in industrial activities.

NACE Rev. 2 Section F: Index based on the evolution of gross wages and salaries in construction activities

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45, G46 and G47, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): Index based on an estimated evolution of wages and salaries

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36, F: Estimates for non-response are based on reported values of the preceding month.

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45, G46 and G47, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): Wages and salaries are calculated (estimated) by multiplying the sum of gross earnings per employee (from quarterly earnings survey) with the number of employees (from STS).

The data compilation takes place on the 3-digit-level of NACE Rev. 2. For aggregation to higher levels the indices are weighted with the results from the relevant structural business statistics (SBS).

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36: The wages and salaries in industrial activities are based on a primary survey of all local units in NACE Sections B to C with 50 or more persons employed and local units in Sections D to E36 of enterprises with 20 or more persons employed.

NACE Rev. 2 Section F: The persons employed in construction activities are obtained for local-kind-of-activity units based on a primary survey of all enterprises in NACE Section F with 20 or more persons employed, which is complemented by administrative data (business register) for small units.

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45, G46 and G47, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): For the estimation procedure on wages and salaries the following sources are used:

  1. Quarterly survey of earnings (based on German national law).
  2. Number of persons employed from the monthly STS survey (NACE Rev. 2 divisions 45, 46, 47 and section I) and quarterly STS data (NACE Rev. 2 sections H, J, M and N).

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36: Monthly.

NACE Rev. 2 Section F: Quarterly.

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45, G46 and G47, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): Quarterly data transmission to Eurostat

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36: The first preliminary results for wages and salaries are published approximately 45 days after the end of the reference month.

Data are to be delivered by the reporting units up to the 12th day after the end of the reference month.

NACE Rev. 2 Section F: The first preliminary results for wages and salaries are published approximately 60 days after the end of the reference period.

Data are to be delivered by the reporting units up to the 10th day after the end of the reference period.

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45, G46 and G47, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): Data have to be transmitted to Eurostat 90 days after the end of the reference-quarter.

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36, F: Results for federated states (Bundesländer = NUTS 1) are directly comparable to each other.

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45, G46 and G47, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): Only data for Germany as a whole covered (NUTS 0), no distinction on the level of Federal States (Länder).

NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36, F: Consistent time series are available since 2005.

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45, G46 and G47, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3): The estimation model was kept consistent since date of first availability. But because of a change in the sample design of the underlying quarterly survey of earnings since 2012 the comparability over time is limited.