As was reported by the Federal Statistical Office, collective salaries of employees increased by 2.0% on average in the year 2007. This is the biggest increase since 2004. Collective hourly wages of workers even increased by 2.5% which is the biggest increase since 2003. For comparison, consumer prices increased by 2.2% on average in 2007.
In the last quarter of 2007 collective monthly salaries of employees increased on average by 2.3% and by 2.9% did the hourly wages of workers. Thus, the trend of rising collective wages and salaries has continued since the third quarter in 2007. In the first half of 2007 the average increase of collective wages and salaries was still significantly smaller. Therefore the overall yearly increase was relatively moderate.
Above average was the increase of collective salaries in mechanical engineering (+3.6%), in the textile and clothing industry (+3.3%), in the chemical industry (+3.1%) as well as in vehicle construction (+3.0%). Below-average wage and salary increases were registered in the energy and water supply sector (+1.4%), in the paper, editing and printing industry as well as in the hotel business (+1.3% each). Employees working at the federal, regional and local level did not receive any increases (0.0%).
The collective hourly wages of workers grew above-average in 2007 in sectors such as mechanical engineering (+4.0%), vehicle construction (+3.1%) and in the chemical industry (+3.0%). Below-average increases were registered in the building construction (+1.5%), in the wood processing industry (+1.4%), in the energy and water supply sector (+1.2%) as well as for workers at the federal, regional and local level (0.0%). 