Thousands of employers appear to have complied with the law last year Minimum wage injured. As the Federal Ministry of Finance announced in response to a request from the Left, in 2025 the customs financial control department checked employers nationwide 25,765 times. Proceedings were initiated in 6,121 cases due to alleged violations of the minimum wage law.
“On average, a minimum wage violation is uncovered in every fourth inspection,” said left-wing MP Cem Ince, who made the request. However, the number of unreported cases appears to be even higher. Ince cited estimates based on employee surveys mentioned in the Minimum Wage Commission’s latest report. According to the MP, up to 2.5 million people would be “cheated out of the minimum wage”.
The catering and hotel industry is particularly affected
According to the Ministry of Finance, almost 2,500 cases concerned this alone Catering and hotel industry. More than 500 procedures each took place at shipping companies, construction companies and hairdressing and cosmetic studios. Customs also found many violations in taxis, beverage shops and security services.
For example, it is considered a violation of the minimum wage law if working hours are not recorded or proven. When employees are covertly or openly pressured to work longer hours without pay, hourly wages fall. In some cases the workload is set so high that it cannot be completed in the paid time. Another trick is deductions from wages for work equipment or clothing. The minimum wage is also sometimes avoided through so-called false self-employment.
Ince calls for more controls
The minimum wage rose from 12.82 to 13.90 euros on January 1st. According to the Federal Statistical Office, this wage increase was 4.8 million jobs affected. The controls can only check a small part of the companies that employ people at the minimum wage.
“I am therefore calling for a significant expansion of controls,” said Ince. The financial control of undeclared employment needs sufficient staff for this. The number of controls and the proportion of violations discovered in 2025 were roughly at the same level as the previous year.
