According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), around 85.8 percent of all collectively bargained employees received Christmas bonuses in 2024. However, the number of those entitled and the amount of the claim could vary greatly between regions and sectors.
To the delight of many employees, many industries are paying out Christmas bonuses to their employees despite the economic tensions. The Federal Statistical Office has collected and compared data on the amount of the Christmas bonus and the number of people entitled to benefits from different sectors. On average, employees received 2,987 euros gross in 2024. This means that the Christmas bonus in 2024 was 6.3 percent or 178 euros above the previous year’s average.
The amount of the Christmas bonus depends heavily on the industry. This has, among other things, to do with the fact that different collective agreements can be used in one industry. In most sectors of the economy, more than 90 percent of employees receive Christmas bonuses.
Editorial team finanzen.net
11th place: The ranking
The ranking contains the ten German industries in which the highest average Christmas bonus (gross) was paid in 2024. The data is based on surveys by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The average amount of Christmas bonuses and the proportion of collective bargaining employees who will receive Christmas bonuses were calculated for various industries for 2024. The data evaluation is based on the wage, salary and remuneration collective agreements, which are also recorded to calculate the collective bargaining indices. Any annual special payments for the months of November and December are taken into account in the Christmas bonus. The status is November 8, 2024.
Source: Destatis, Image: Hadrian / Shutterstock.com
10th place: Research and development
Research and development comes last in the ranking. Here, 92.4 employees received an average of 4,556 euros in Christmas bonuses in 2024. These are above-average payments for professional, scientific and technical services.
Source: Destatis, Image: Mongkolchon Akesin / Shutterstock.com
9th place: information services
The information services industry paid an average of 4,601 euros in Christmas bonuses to 79.3 percent of its employees in 2024, placing it in ninth place.
Source: Destatis, Image: GlebSStock / Shutterstock.com
8th place: Provision of financial services
99.5 percent of employees at financial service providers were granted an average of 4,633 euros in Christmas bonuses in 2024. This puts the industry in number eight position.
Source: Destatis, Image: Rainer Sturm / pixelio.de
7th place: Provision of information technology services
Seventh place in 2024 will go to information technology services. On average, 75 percent of employees nationwide received 5,379 euros.
Source: Destatis, Image: PopTika / Shutterstock.com
6th place: broadcaster
Broadcasters will only occupy sixth place in 2024. On average, 53 percent of collective bargaining employees received 5,488 euros and therefore did not receive any more Christmas bonuses compared to the previous year.
Source: Destatis, Image: Gaurav Paswan / Shutterstock.com
5th place: Manufacture of chemical products
The chemical industry paid 98.8 percent of its employees in the production of chemical products a Christmas bonus of an average of 5,543 euros.
Source: Destatis, Image: yourmedia / Shutterstock.com
4th place: Manufacturing of pharmaceutical products
Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products paid 100 percent of their employees an average of 5,546 euros in Christmas bonuses. Despite an increase of 276 euros, the pharmaceutical industry is in fourth place, as in 2023.
Source: Destatis, Image: Rainer Sturm / pixelio.de
3rd place: energy supply
With an average Christmas bonus of 5,829 euros, the energy supply comes in third place in 2024. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 98 percent of employees in this industry received Christmas bonuses.
Source: Destatis, Image: Chones / Shutterstock.com
2nd place: coking plant and mineral oil processing
As in the previous year, coking and mineral oil processing took second place. Here, 100 percent of collective bargaining employees received an average of 5,898 euros in Christmas bonuses, slightly more than in 2023.
Source: Destatis, Image: Sally Wallis / Shutterstock.com
1st place: Extraction of crude oil and natural gas
In 2024, collective bargaining employees in the oil and gas industry will again make it to first place. Here, 100 percent of employees received an average of 5,955 euros in Christmas bonuses in 2024.
Source: Destatis, Image: Calin Tatu / Shutterstock.com
Image sources: Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images, Pressmaster / Shutterstock.com