Under the main CLAs, i.e. those covering at least 1500 people, the social partners agreed on an average nominal increase in actual wages of 0.5% for 2026 (2025: 1.2%; 2024: 2.1%; 2023: 2.5%, 2022: 0.8%; 2021: 0.4%). Taking account of inflation forecasts for 2026 (+0.6%), real wages covered by CLAs are not expected to rise this year. In total, just under 700 000 people are affected by the actual wage adjustments (2025: 600 000 people; 2024: 613 000; 2023: 655 000; 2022: 551 000; 2021: 589 000).

In 2026, actual wage growth was 0.2% in the secondary sector and 0.8% in the tertiary sector. The overall average is 0.5%. Wage adjustments by economic section were as follows: transportation and storage (+1.2%), financial and insurance activities (+1%), professional, scientific and technical activities (+0.8%), administrative and support service activities (+0.8%), human health and social work activities (+0.8%), education (+0.8%), trade; maintenance and repair of vehicles (+0.6%), public administration (+0.6%), information and communication (+0.6%), manufacturing (+0.3%) and construction (+0.2%).

In 2026, the overall average increase of 0.5% in CLA wages consisted of 0.3% in individual increases and 0.2% in collective increases. Thus, 45% of the wage bill allocated to wage increases was distributed evenly among the people concerned. In the secondary sector, increases were predominantly collective (83%), whereas individual increases predominated in the tertiary sector (64%).

The minimum wages set in the main CLAs were raised by 0.8% in 2026 (2025: +1%; 2024: +2%; 2023: +1.9%; 2022: +0.6%; 2021: +0.2%). Just over 1 850 000 people are covered by a CLA containing normative provisions and agreed minimum wages.

Minimum wage growth was 0.3% in the secondary sector and 0.8% in the tertiary sector. Wage adjustments in the economic sections were as follows: activities that cannot be allocated (commercial employees and sales staff; +2.3%), financial and insurance activities (+1.8%), other service activities such as laundry and dry-cleaning, hairdressing and beauty salons (+1.5%), administrative and support service activities (+1.3%), trade; maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (+0.8%), public administration (+0.6%), construction (+0.5%), information and communication (+0.4%), professional, scientific and technical activities (+0.3%), transportation and storage (+0.3%), human health and social work activities (+0.2%), accommodation and food service activities (+0.2%) and manufacturing (+0.1%).

For ease of reading, the values in the press release have been rounded.