Germany’s AI Wage Premium Exceeds 50%, Yet Women Trail in Adoption and Pay
Published on 06/26/2026 at 16:56 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
German women stand to gain significantly from artificial intelligence skills—but most are not reaping the benefits. An analysis by Handelsblatt found that 51 percent of jobs held by women have high potential for AI-driven transformation, compared with 42 percent of male-dominated roles. Secretarial work, where women make up roughly 96 percent of the workforce, faces particularly strong automation pressure.
Despite the opportunity, only 37 percent of women use AI tools, versus 53 percent of men. That gap matters financially. Deutsche Bank calculations show that AI-related expertise can boost salaries by up to 58 percent. Workers who change jobs with AI skills see an average pay increase of 17.3 percent, while those without AI backgrounds gain just 11.1 percent.
Pay Disparity Rooted in Unpaid Care Work
The gender pay gap remains stubbornly wide. In the state of Hesse, women earned an average €24.21 per hour compared with men’s €29.75 — an unadjusted difference of 19 percent. Among workers aged 60 to 64, the gap balloons to 28 percent. In the private sector, women earn 20 percent less than men; in the public sector, the gap narrows to 6 percent.
A key driver is unpaid care work. In couple households, women perform over 60 percent of domestic and care tasks. Mothers with young children are employed more than 20 fewer hours per week than fathers. They also take an average of 13.7 months of parental leave, versus 4.4 months for fathers. A Swiss study found mothers log up to 65 hours of unpaid work weekly, while fathers reach a maximum of 42.
This invisible burden shapes entire careers, pushing many women into part-time roles or low-wage mini-jobs.
Bright Spots: More Women in STEM, Untapped Potential Over 50
There are encouraging signs. In 2024, the share of female first-year students in MINT (STEM) subjects hit a record 36 percent. However, cybersecurity remains a weak spot: women hold just 14.6 percent of such roles in Germany, among the lowest rates in Europe. Rebecca Taylor of cybersecurity firm Sophos criticized companies for pursuing superficial diversity — recruiting with targets but failing to retain or develop female talent.
Another overlooked group is women aged 50 and older. Seven in ten demonstrate above-average performance readiness, according to the data. Among those currently not employed, half would return to work if offered flexible schedules or part-time arrangements.
A government expert commission recently delivered a report to Chancellor Merz and Minister Bas that proposes linking the retirement age to life expectancy — which would raise it to 67.5 by 2041. A new capital-based pillar for old-age provision is also under discussion. DGB leader Yasmin Fahimi is pushing instead for higher taxes on large fortunes and inheritances to stabilise pension levels.
For low earners—many of them women in part-time or mini-jobs—the minimum wage will rise to €13.90 per hour on 1 July 2026, and then to €14.60 on 1 January 2027. The increases aim to improve income security for those most affected by the structural gaps in Germany’s labour market.
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