The legal minimum wage is the minimum wage that an employer is obliged to pay an employee. Its aim is to guarantee a decent standard of living. In Europe, the rules governing the minimum wage vary from country to country: an overview of the systems in force in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland.

STOP! News: salaries have been indexed in Luxembourg with effect from 1 May 2025.

In France

For an adult, pay may not fall below the following thresholds:

  • Gross hourly minimum wage: €11.88
  • Gross monthly minimum wage: €1,801.80
  • Gross annual minimum wage: €21,621.60

In some cases, the applicable collective bargaining agreement may set a standard minimum wage.

  • If the agreed minimum is lower than the minimum wage, the employer will pay a salary supplement to bring the salary up to the minimum wage.
  • If the agreed minimum is higher than the minimum wage, the employer pays the amount specified in the collective agreement.

In Luxembourg

The principle:

There is a minimum social wage (SSM) guaranteed to all employees and varying according to the level of qualification.

To determine the amount of this minimum wage, it is necessary to differentiate whether the worker is to be considered qualified or not. The qualified minimum wage must be paid to all employees who have an officially recognised qualification for the profession they wish to practise in Luxembourg, and/or professional experience in the profession concerned.

The applicable minimum wage depends on the employee’s level of professional qualification.

The amounts :

The minimum gross hourly wage for a skilled worker is €18.7542.

The minimum gross monthly wage for full-time work for a skilled worker is €3,244.48.

For unskilled SSM: The minimum gross hourly wage for an unskilled worker aged 18 and over is €15.6285. From 17 to 18, it is €12.5028. From 15 to 17, it is €11.7214.

The minimum gross monthly social wage for full-time work for unskilled workers aged 18 and over is €2,703.74. From 17 to 18 years of age, the minimum social wage is €2,162.99. Between the ages of 15 and 17, the minimum social wage is €2,027.80.

⚠️ However, the company where you work may have a collective agreement.

In Germany

Since 1 January 2025, a minimum wage of €12.82 has been in force.

The legal minimum wage applies regardless of the number of hours worked and the nationality of the person employed. It therefore also applies to people working in minor occupations (‘mini-jobs’), seasonal workers and foreigners working in Germany.

A minimum wage calculator is available on the website of the German Ministry of Labour (BMAS): Minimum wage calculator – BMAS

In Belgium

The minimum wages in force are usually set by collective labour agreements (CCT), concluded within joint committees (CP) or joint sub-committees (SCP), as in some other countries.

If the CCT for the sector of employment specifies a minimum wage, the individual employment contract may not impose a lower wage, but may grant a higher wage.

In the absence of an agreement, wages may not be lower than the guaranteed average minimum monthly income (RMMMG). This currently stands at €2,111.89 gross per month for a full-time worker over the age of 18 (as at 01/02/2025).

Minimum wages can be consulted in an official database.

In Switzerland

There is no legal minimum wage applicable at national level in Switzerland. However, some cantons and municipalities have the option of setting their own minimum wage, and several have already done so. This is the case in the cantons of Neuchâtel, Jura, Geneva and Basel-Stadt:

Geneva: minimum gross hourly wage set at CHF 24.48

Jura: minimum gross hourly wage of CHF 21.40

Neuchâtel: minimum gross hourly wage of CHF 21.31

Basel-Stadt: minimum gross hourly wage of CHF 22.00

For more information, visit the website of our partner Frontaliers Grand Est