Gehaltsrechner: Wie viel verdienen Sie im Vergleich zu anderen Führungskräften?

To become a top earner in Germany, one should generally take on corporate responsibility. While more companies are also promoting professional careers and offering higher salaries to experts, a Stepstone analysis of job platform data finds that even those managing a small team of up to four employees have more than twice the chance of earning a six-figure salary compared to someone without leadership responsibility.

However, in which sectors do executives earn the most? And how do location, company size, or professional experience impact the salary of individuals with corporate responsibility? Stepstone has exclusively analyzed this for the Handelsblatt. The data basis comprises around 1.3 million salary figures submitted by employees from 2022 to 2026 via the platform.

Stepstone only considered salaries of individuals with corporate responsibility for the analysis, which are presented as the median gross annual salary – the value with an equal number of lower paid and higher paid positions. Industries: Particularly well-paid are executives in banking, insurance, or IT. Here, CEOs have the best chances.

Banking salaries are the highest, with a median of 96,000 euros. Hotels or restaurants pay significantly less, with median salaries of 50,000 euros – about half of the banking median. Depending on the position within a bank, salaries can exceed 96,000 euros. A Chief Technology Officer earns about 143,000 euros on average. A legal department manager earns a median of 132,500 euros.

An insurance company median for executives is 88,500 euros, and an IT company median is 85,250 euros. "Several factors converge in these sectors," explains Christina Langer, a labor market expert at Stepstone. "High productivity and value creation per head, as well as special regulatory and technological requirements." Executives in these sectors often have several years of study or specialized expertise and are in high demand internationally, reflected in the higher salaries.

"When leading a team in such an environment, one usually manages larger budgets, more complex processes, and higher risks than in less regulated sectors," says Langer. These senior roles often involve managing larger budgets, more complex processes, and higher risks than in less regulated sectors. Führungskräfte in diesen Branchen verdienen oft ein sehr hohes Gehalt.

The nationwide median for employees with corporate responsibility is 64,000 euros, incorporating both high earners and comparatively low-paid leadership positions. Kantinenleiter or Barchefinnen, for example, earn about 45,000 euros on average. Meanwhile, medical directors earn about 221,500 euros on average. Similarly, leaders of departments such as Treasury, Asset Management, or Innovations Management, as well as Chief Technology Officer or Chief Product Officer, earn very well, though less than medical professionals.

In middle management, companies are currently laying off many positions and are often unwilling to pay high salaries. This trend is also observed by Anna Lüttgen, head of recruitment at staffing firm Hays. "Middle and senior management figures are usually the headliners in the public perception of group central services that are now being cut," she notes.

Lüttgen therefore advises executives to refrain from citing their previous hierarchical position in salary negotiations. Instead, they should emphasize their department's performance and their own effectiveness as a leader. "I have driven the restructuring of my team" is currently a stronger argument than 'I led 80 employees.' It is also important for candidates to highlight their experience with transformations and demonstrate their ability to use AI.

Salaries are most heavily influenced by company size. Someone leading a team in a small business with up to 50 employees has a median salary of 57,000 euros. For a group with over 5,000 employees, the median jumps to 72,750 euros gross annually. Salaries still differ significantly by position. A sales manager, for example, earns 81,500 euros on average in a company with up to 50 employees, while in a group with over 5,000 employees, this jumps to over 115,000 euros.

Location and team size also play a role in determining salary. Führungskräfte in Hamburg earn particularly well, with a median of 71,750 euros. This is due to numerous large companies with comparatively high salaries in the Hanseatic city, including aerospace giant Airbus, major logistics firms like Hapag-Lloyd, and trade conglomerates like the Otto Group.

In Hesse, where Frankfurt, the banking metropolis, is located, median salaries are also relatively high.