Minimum wage 2026 in temporary staffing: what the increase means for client companies

The statutory minimum wage has been €13.90 per hour since January 1, 2026. On January 1, 2027 it rises to €14.60. Anyone planning with temporary staffing, however, knows only the lower edge with that figure. For the minimum wage 2026 in temporary staffing a separate, higher floor applies, and it has already moved twice this year. This article sorts out what has applied since January, who pays the wages, and what client companies should budget for 2027. We mean companies in production, metalworking and logistics that absorb peaks with leased workers. Legal advice this is not. The legal assessment in the individual case remains with your company.

Since January 1, 2026 a single collective framework has applied in the sector, agreed between the association of staffing providers (GVP) and the DGB bargaining group for temporary work. It replaced the earlier frameworks of iGZ and BAP. The GVP collective agreement 2026 rises in stages: by 2.99 percent on January 1, 2026 and by a further 2.5 percent on September 1, 2026. A next step is scheduled for April 1, 2027. In pay grade 1 the collective rate has been €15.33 gross per hour since September 1, 2026. The generally binding wage floor of the sector has risen to the same amount. It also binds lenders without collective agreement and lenders based abroad. For client companies that means there is now one collective line instead of two competing frameworks.

Minimum wage 2026 and temporary staffing are therefore connected without being identical: the collective floor runs well ahead of the statutory figure. For your company the question of roles comes first. In staff leasing, legally temporary staffing (German AÜG, Arbeitnehmerüberlassung), the lender and employer is a licensed partner company that carries the employer obligations. Wage, collective pay, social insurance and payroll tax run through that company. Arbeitina acts as intermediary and coordinator, and your company remains the client site with the duties that arise there. The hourly rate you pay is therefore not the worker's wage. It carries wage, contributions, collective stages, accommodation, transport, absence risk and administration. A low headline rate is thus no proof of low cost, but often just a different distribution of the items. How the model runs in daily practice is described on our page on temporary staffing and staff leasing.

A second point belongs in every calculation: equal pay. The principle says that after a certain length of assignment at the same client company, leased workers draw level in pay with comparable core staff. Collective agreements may deviate from this, and sector surcharges bring the pay closer in stages. In practice that means the longer an assignment runs, the closer the rate moves to your own wage level. The client company plays a part in this, for instance with information on the working conditions customary in the house. Which stage applies when depends on the specific contract and the individual assignment. The legal assessment in the individual case remains with your company. Anyone planning long assignments is better off raising the alignment before the start than during a running contract. Answers on contracts, costs and invoicing are collected on our FAQ page.

What the minimum wage increase means for companies in the 2027 budget can be stated soberly. On January 1, 2027 the statutory figure rises to €14.60, and in April 2027 the next collective stage of the sector follows. Anyone extending framework agreements now factors in both dates rather than only the turn of the year. It also makes sense to look at long assignments separately, because the alignment to the core wage level takes effect there. Our indicative net rates are €22.50 for semi-skilled workers and production helpers, licensed forklift drivers included. Skilled helpers in assembly and metalwork start at €26.90, certified welders at €31.00. The binding rate is set in the quote after the requirement analysis. All inclusive as per quote are accommodation, vehicle and transport costs as well as overtime without surcharges.

Does the statutory minimum wage apply to temporary workers as well? Yes, it is the lower edge for every employment relationship in Germany. In temporary staffing the collective wage floor of the sector applies on top. Since September 1, 2026 it has sat noticeably higher at €15.33 gross per hour, and it also covers lenders without collective agreement as well as lenders based abroad. For your company that means a quote which would have to calculate below this should make you suspicious. The collective floor is also still a minimum, not a market price for qualified profiles. The wage is paid by the employer of the workers, that is by the licensed partner company, not by the client company.

Why does our hourly rate rise even though the statutory minimum wage stays the same? Because the collective agreement in temporary staffing has dates of its own. The GVP collective agreement 2026 rose on January 1 and on September 1, while the statutory figure moved only at the turn of the year. Added to this are sector surcharges and the alignment on long assignments. A rate calculated honestly shows that in advance instead of collecting it later through additional claims. So we name the stages that fall into your assignment period and factor them into the quote. Ask in the quote which stage applies when and how it affects the rate. What then stands in the contract is what counts.

What should we do now in concrete terms? Sort your running assignments by remaining term and qualification, and put the dates January 1, 2027 and April 1, 2027 alongside them. That shows you which assignment becomes more expensive next year and which does not. If you want to set the minimum wage 2026 and the collective stages in temporary staffing against your actual demand, describe the assignment, the number of workers and the period. You receive an honest assessment of which costs are realistic and which model holds up commercially. The earlier the demand is on the table, the calmer the staffing can be planned. The way there is on our contact page.