Recruiter

Salary band

Base salary, gross annual

25th percentile

€40,000

Median

€48,000

75th percentile

€62,000

For reference: the statutory minimum wage in Germany has stood at €13.90 gross per hour since January 1, 2026 — roughly €2,410 gross a month for a full-time role at 40 hours/week. (BMAS: Mindestlohn steigt zum 1. Januar 2026 auf 13,90 Euro)

Variable at OTE€4,000 – €7,000

Gross fixed salary per year for a Recruiter (Talent Acquisition Specialist) at a German SMB with 30 to 200 employees, 3 to 7 years of experience of which at least 2 in an independent recruiting role. Major-city locations (Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Stuttgart) pull the range up (+10 to +15 %); East German locations and smaller towns pull it down (-5 to -10 %). Profiles focused on tech recruiting (software, data, DevOps) or senior sourcing in tariff-bound industries sit at the top end. This role usually has no structural variable pay; some SMBs pay a small bonus per completed hire (typically €250 to €1,000 per hire) or an annual special payment.

Sources: Stepstone Gehaltsdaten Recruiter Deutschland 2026; Stepstone Gehaltsreport 2026; Destatis Verdiensterhebung (April 2025)