German customs data has revealed that thousands of employers in Germany, considered Europe’s largest economy, are violating legal minimum wage rules by paying unpaid wages, imposing long working hours and failing to document working hours.
In a response to a request for a press conference from the “Left” party’s parliamentary group, the German Ministry of Finance said that the Financial Supervisory Authority, which aims to combat customs misconduct, carried out a total of 25,765 employer inspections across Germany in 2025 and initiated 6,121 proceedings for suspected violations of minimum wage laws.
improper procedure
“On average, minimum wage violations are detected in about 25% of inspections,” said Jim Ince, an MP from the Left party.
Ince pointed to estimates based on a survey of employees included in the Minimum Wage Commission’s latest report that up to 2.5 million people are deprived of the minimum wage, and said measures are insufficient.
“Therefore, I call for a clear expansion of inspection operations,” Ince said, explaining that the Financial Supervisory Authority, which fights illegal employment, needs sufficient staff to achieve this, noting that in 2025, the number of inspections and violation detection rates will remain close to 2024 levels.
Many violations
According to the Ministry of Finance, around 2,500 measures have been taken in the hospitality and hotel sector alone. Contains over 500 procedures for transportation companies, construction companies, hair salons, etc.
Customs monitored a number of violations in the taxi sector, beverage shops, and security companies.
The minimum wage was increased from 12.82 euros per hour to 13.90 euros as of January 1st.
The increase affected 4.8 million jobs, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office. This means that only a small number of businesses that employ minimum wage workers are subject to customs inspections.
German customs data has revealed that thousands of employers in Germany, considered Europe’s largest economy, are violating legal minimum wage rules by paying wages lower than they should be paid, imposing long working hours and failing to document working hours.
In response to an investigation by the Left party’s parliamentary group, Germany’s finance ministry reported that its financial surveillance unit, which fights illegal labor within customs offices, carried out a total of 25,765 checks on employers across Germany in 2025, of which proceedings were initiated in 6,121 cases for suspected violations of minimum wage laws.
Insufficient measures
“On average, minimum wage violations are found in about 25% of inspections,” said Jim Inge, an MP from the Left party.
Inge pointed to estimates based on employee surveys cited in the Minimum Wage Commission’s latest report that up to 2.5 million people have been deprived of the minimum wage, and said that not enough is being done.
“Therefore, I call for a clear expansion of inspection operations,” Inge said, explaining that the financial oversight department, which fights illegal labor, needs sufficient personnel to achieve this, noting that the number of inspections and the detection rate in 2025 will remain close to 2024.
many violations
According to the Ministry of Finance, there are approximately 2,500 proceedings in the hospitality and hotel sector alone. Contains over 500 procedures for transportation companies, construction companies, hair salons, etc.
Customs confirmed a number of violations in the taxi sector, beverage shops and security companies.
As of January 1st last year, the minimum wage increased from 12.82 euros to 13.90 euros per hour.
According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, this increase affected 4.8 million jobs. This means that only a small proportion of businesses that employ workers receiving the minimum wage are subject to inspections carried out by Customs.
