German real wages rose by 2.7% in the second quarter, the strongest increase since records began in 2008, the Federal Statistics Office said today.
The data showed the strongest increases on a pre-inflation, or nominal basis, were in eastern Germany and in the unskilled, low-wage sector.
This would suggest that the introduction of an €8.50 minimum wage at the start of the year had an impact.
Low inflation also supported real wage growth.
For the second quarter, consumer prices rose by just 0.5%, pulling nominal wage growth of 3.2% only marginally lower.
Real wages in Germany have now risen by more than 2% in three consecutive quarters. They rose by 2.5% in the first quarter and 2.2% in the last quarter of 2014.
