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Average salaries and pay factors in the life sciences

From medical technology and energy supply to product development, life scientists 鈥� sometimes referred to as biological scientists 鈥� can be active in many different areas. But as varied as the jobs in the interdisciplinary life sciences may be, they have one thing in common: They are usually well paid. According to Germany鈥檚 Federal Employment Agency, median salaries are around 65,000 euros gross per year. The specialties with the highest salaries are:

• Biotechnology
• Pharmaceuticals
• Chemistry

The relatively high salaries paid in the life sciences are rooted in the demanding scientific training that must be completed in addition to the future-oriented nature of the industry.聽

Nevertheless, there are salary differences, which are primarily the result of the following factors:

• Academic degree
• Specialty focus
• Work experience
• Location
• Employer
• Level of responsibility
• Negotiating skills 鈥� in positions without collective bargaining agreements

Life science salaries in science

Salaries are predetermined in all jobs that are bound by collective bargaining agreements. That also includes university positions, of course, which are remunerated according to the salaries negotiated for civil service jobs. The following salaries can be expected (current as of June 2024):

• Research assistant (PhD student, postdoc): between 52,000 and around 80,00o euros (TV-L, E13/E14)
• Junior professors, depending on German state, between 58,000 and 66,000 euros per year (W1 level in the W salary scale for tenured professors)
• Professors at the W2 or W3 level earn roughly between 75,000 and 100,000 euros per year (basic salary without extras)

Life sciences salaries in the private sector

In the private sector, some employers are also bound by collective bargaining agreements. In many cases, the labour union IG BCE (Industriegewerkschaft Berbau, Chemie, Energie) is responsible for companies in the life sciences sector. The union organises workers in pharmaceutical companies, energy suppliers, mineral oil processing companies and packaging companies, to name a few prominent examples. Because collective bargaining agreements apply in a significant number of large companies in Germany, those interested in taking a job in the sector should do their research beforehand.

Taking a job that is not regulated by a collective bargaining agreement generally means less security, but more flexibility when it comes to negotiating one鈥檚 own salary. Here, the factors listed above play a significant role in the level of pay candidates can request.

Decisive for life science salaries: Specific sector and level of degree

There aren鈥檛 many job advertisements out there for 鈥渓ife scientist鈥�. Usually, companies are searching for natural scientists, engineers, pharmaceutical scientists, etc. with the position specifying the precise duties and expectations. Is it a research position or does it focus more on quality control? Project leader or assistant? All of that and more has a significant impact on the salary paid.

In general, though, earning a doctorate in the life sciences is worth it. For engineers, a doctorate is particularly impactful when it comes to the starting salary, boosting it by around 25 percent. Doctorates in biology can expect a starting salary that is around 10 percent higher than normal, while chemists with a PhD tend to earn around 10,000 euros more per year than their colleagues without a doctorate.聽

Location is everything: Life science salaries by German state

There are also salary differences among Germany鈥檚 16 states 鈥� and not just in the life sciences sector. As a rule, salaries in Germany鈥檚 south and southwest are highest (joined by Hamburg in the north) and there is also still a clear east-west divide in the country. The following is a ranking from top to bottom of average gross salaries earned in Germany (Source: StepStone Salary Report for Germany 2023):

1. Hamburg
2. 叠补诲别苍-奥眉谤迟迟别尘产别谤驳听
3. Hesse
4. Bavaria
5. North Rhine-Westphalia
6. Bremen
7. Berlin
8. Rhineland-Palatinate
9. Lower Saxony
10. Saarland
11. Schleswig-Holstein
12. Saxony
13. Brandenburg
14. Thuringia
15. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
16. Saxony-Anhalt