Anyone who works under the protection of a collective agreement is very likely to receive a Christmas bonus. The average gross total is higher this year than last year - but is still far behind inflation.
The vast majority of the millions of employees in Germany with a collective agreement can look forward to a Christmas bonus this year, which is also higher than in 2021. 85.7 percent of them would receive this special payment, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office. The average amount of the special payment this year is 2747 euros gross. That is 2.6 percent more than last year (2677 euros).
According to the statement by the Federal Statistical Office, the proportion of employees with a collective bargaining agreement who are entitled to a Christmas bonus is slightly higher in eastern Germany at 88.5 percent than in western Germany at 85.3 percent. On the other hand, the average claim in western Germany is 2,768 euros, 6 percent higher than in the east (2,611 euros).
The industry differences are horrendous. An above-average amount is paid in the areas of "extraction of crude oil and natural gas" with 5504 euros and in the area of "coking plant and mineral oil processing" with 5450 euros. Many companies in these sectors benefit from high energy prices.
The lowest Christmas bonus is paid to employees in the "placement and leasing of workers" area with an average of 327 euros. There is also comparatively little in the "tobacco processing" area at 564 euros.
If employees without a collective agreement are also taken into account, then according to the Institute for Economic and Social Sciences (WSI), only 54 percent of employees receive a Christmas bonus.
"In view of historically high inflation rates, the Christmas bonus is more important than ever for many employees," said the head of the WSI collective bargaining archive, Thorsten Schulten, recently. "It creates a buffer, at least in the short term, to be able to react to the increased cost of living." At 10.4 percent, the inflation rate is currently higher than it has been for over 70 years, as energy and food in particular have become much more expensive.
