According to a study by the Institute for German Economy (IW), Indians make up an average of all foreigners living in Germany. Overall, the foreigners earn less than the average German, but the qualifications are crucial: the MINT foreigners are ahead in the game.

With a gross average wage of more than 4 4,800, Indians are the largest full-time employee in Germany. Scandinavians and Austrians are next in line. Americans, Irish, British and Swiss are also above the ,000 4,000 limit.

For comparison: the average gross salary of a full-time German is currently ,500 3,500 per month. Data from the Federal Employment Agency’s employment statistics – up to December 2020 – shows this through a new evaluation by IW.

Overall, foreigners earn less than Germans

All foreigners, with an average wage of about 2,600 euros, are still far below the Germans. Wages for Syrians, Romanians and Bulgarians are relatively low. Many of them work in helper activities. Almost every second Syrian worker has such a job – their average wage is around 2,200 euros. In the case of Bulgarians and Romanians, this is more than half – the average monthly wage is EUR 2,100 and EUR 2,150.

Indians regularly work in STEM academic professions

In contrast, employees in academic MINT professions, such as computer scientists, engineers or naturalists, earn significantly better incomes. Since 2012, the number of foreigners from third countries in these occupations has nearly tripled and the number of Indians has quadrupled. The average monthly wage in these occupations for Indians between the ages of 25 and 44 is about, 5,300 and for Germans it is 5 5,200.

The proportion of Indian employees in the academic MINT professions, aged between 25 and 44, is more than 36 per cent, which is much higher than the proportion of Germans who are just seven per cent. “The migration of qualified skilled workers from third countries into the academic MINT professions makes a significant contribution to securing skilled labor and innovative power in Germany, and significantly increases the average gross wages of some foreigners,” says IW expert Axel Pluneck.