Aldi Süd and Lidl Lift Their Lowest Hourly Pay to €16 (About $17.90) in Germany From December 1

Aldi Süd will raise its minimum hourly wage from 15 euros (about $16.78) to 16 euros (about $17.90) on December 1, 2026, and Lidl guarantees a minimum entry wage of 16 euros an hour from December 1, 2026 (about $17.90). Aldi Süd announced its raise on November 9, and Lidl announced the same 16 euro floor (about $17.90), weeks before Germany's legal minimum wage rises on January 1, 2027. The new floor matters most for people starting out, since the higher entry wage at Aldi Süd mainly helps new cashiers, shelf stockers and temporary helpers, including those without a completed vocational qualification. For Metaintro readers looking at store or warehouse work in Germany, this guide covers who gets the 16 euros (about $17.90), what each role pays above it, who is left out and how to apply to either chain.

What Exactly Changes at Aldi Süd on December 1?

The new rate covers all employees in the regional companies with their stores and logistics centres, and in ALDI SÜD Dienstleistungs-SE & Co. oHG, its central service company, based in Mülheim an der Ruhr. From December 1, 2026, the minimum hourly wage in those units is 16 euros (about $17.90), with trainees, dual students and interns among the groups excluded.

The company gave two reasons, pointing to current economic developments in Germany and the renewed rise in inflation (translated). It also calls itself the first food retailer to make this move, and Lidl announced the same 16 euro entry wage from December 1 (about $17.90).

Aldi Süd has raised its floor before, from 12.50 euros (about $13.98) to 14 euros (about $15.66) in 2022, and the floor has been 15 euros since 2024 (about $16.78). For comparison, the legal minimum wage was 12.41 euros in 2024 (about $13.88).

The new rate is a floor, not a flat rate. Depending on work experience, role and pay region, many Aldi Süd staff already earn well above the minimum, and the company points readers to its current pay table on the careers site.

What Is Lidl Changing, and Who Gets the 16 Euros (About $17.90)?

Lidl is raising its nationwide minimum entry wage to at least 16 euros gross an hour on December 1, 2026 (about $17.90), up from the 15 euros an hour it has paid as a minimum since 2024 (about $16.78). Until then, Lidl's benefits page lists a start of currently at least 15 euros an hour (about $16.78) for staff on the collective pay scale.

In the fine print, Lidl pays its staff on the collective scale an entry wage of at least 16 euros (about $17.90) an hour for contracts starting from December 1, 2026, even without a completed vocational qualification (translated). Marginal part-time workers and temporary helpers also benefit from the entry wage.

Lidl generally pays under the regional retail collective agreements, and if the agreed hourly rate is lower, it tops pay up to at least 16 euros (about $17.90). This does not mean all employees automatically receive 16 euros or that their hourly wage rises by the same amount (about $17.90), and staff with longer service or higher qualifications earn more.

The rate is aimed mainly at new starters, temporary helpers and unskilled workers, and Lidl describes its own entry wage as voluntarily above the legal level since 2010.

With the increase of our minimum entry wage to at least 16 euros (about $17.90) gross an hour, we are offering new colleagues a strong signal of respect and recognition for their daily commitment from their first working day (translated), Lidl HR chief Nikoletta Kolomburda said in the company's statement, according to the Lebensmittel Praxis report.

How Far Above Germany's Legal Minimum Wage Is 16 Euros (About $17.90)?

Germany's legal minimum is set by the federal government's Fifth Minimum Wage Adjustment Ordinance, which fixed it at 13.90 euros gross an hour from January 1, 2026 (about $15.55) and sets 14.60 euros gross an hour from January 1, 2027 (about $16.33). The ordinance was issued on 5 November 2025.

That January step is an increase of around 5 percent. Measured against it, both discounters will sit around 9.6 percent above the new legal minimum wage. Lidl's floor is more than eight percent above the legal minimum wage that applies from January 2027, by the company's own figure.

In money terms, a full-time job at the new Lidl floor means more than 2,000 euros a month, whatever the department (about $2,237). A full-time week at Aldi Süd is 37.5 hours, so compare the hourly rates when you weigh the two offers.

What Do Aldi Süd Jobs Pay Above the New Floor?

Aldi Süd publishes hourly and monthly ranges for its store roles on its careers pay page, each marked as depending on work experience, role and pay region or state (translated).

• Shelf stocker (Mitarbeiter:in Warenverräumung): 16.00 to 17.29 euros an hour (about $17.90 to $19.34)
• Cashier (Kassierer:in): 16.00 to 20.79 euros an hour (about $17.90 to $23.26)
• Sales assistant (Verkäufer:in): 17.41 to 22.55 euros an hour (about $19.48 to $25.23)
• Store manager (Filialleiter:in): 5,107 to 6,064 euros a month (about $5,713 to $6,784)
• Deputy store manager: 3,654 to 4,896 euros a month (about $4,088 to $5,477)
• Junior manager in sales (Nachwuchsführungskraft): 3,654 to 4,133 euros a month (about $4,088 to $4,624)

The bottom of the shelf stocker and cashier ranges already matches the new floor on the pay page, while sales assistants start higher. Below management level, Aldi Süd also pays holiday and Christmas bonuses on top of the hourly wage.

Hours are tracked closely. Working time is recorded precisely and visible at any time in the staff app, and when you work longer you get every extra minute paid or can take it back as time off (translated).

What Else Comes With a Lidl Job?

Lidl's extras for staff include:

• Six weeks of holiday, holiday and Christmas pay and permanent contracts, with holiday and Christmas pay once the collectively agreed waiting period is met
• A 5 percent staff discount since April 2026 in more than 3,250 German stores
• A collectively agreed pension contribution of 420 euros a year for full-time staff (about $470), and Lidl's careers page lists 300 euros a year in company pension (about $336)
• A location allowance in selected high-cost regions that reaches more than 6,100 employees in 232 stores and logistics centres
• A sabbatical of up to three months after five years of service

Job security is a selling point too. Lidl puts the share of colleagues on permanent contracts at over 99% and employs colleagues from around 130 nations. On pay fairness, Lidl cites certification by the Fair Pay Innovation Lab and a gender pay gap of 2.1 percent.

For people who want to move up, the entry salary for a store manager is 4,597 euros (about $5,143). With 39 regional companies plus its head office in Bad Wimpfen, staff who need to relocate can apply for internal transfers.

Our colleagues show above-average commitment and we want this to be paid above average. That is why we introduced the Lidl minimum entry wage (translated), Friedrich Fuchs, chair of the management board at Lidl in Germany, said, according to the Lidl minimum wage page.

What Has Aldi Nord Said About Its Pay?

Aldi Nord said that, as a member of the retail employers' bargaining group, it follows the collective agreements and that the agreed minimum pay will rise in three steps to 14.90 euros by May 2027 (about $16.67), in a reply to Lebensmittel Praxis (translated).

The company added that, through its non-tariff supplements, it is always well above the legal minimum wage (translated). It puts around 37,000 of its around 40,000 employees in Germany under the collective agreement.

For job seekers this means the Aldi name alone does not tell you the floor. Aldi Süd has its locations in southern and western Germany, so check which of the two companies runs the store before you compare offers. In manufacturing, by contrast, German factories have shed jobs while services added them.

Who Is Left Out of the New Minimum?

The hourly floor at Aldi Süd does not cover everyone. Aldi Süd excludes trainees, staff in further training, dual students, interns and workers in entry qualification programmes (translated).

Aldi Süd publishes monthly pay for its trainees. They earn 1,250 euros a month in the first year (about $1,398), then 1,350 euros a month in the second year (about $1,510), and 1,500 euros a month in the third year (about $1,678).

Lidl sets out its own monthly rates. There, apprentices start on 1,250 euros a month (about $1,398), participants in the Abitur programme on 1,350 euros (about $1,510), dual students on 1,650 euros a month full time (about $1,846) and interns on 1,300 euros a month for compulsory student placements (about $1,454).

Which Entry-Level Roles Can You Get Without Retail Training?

You do not necessarily need retail training for career-changer jobs in Aldi Süd stores and logistics centres (translated), and each listing says whether that role is open to career changers. It names five starter roles on its career-changer page.

• Sales assistant, looking after product groups such as fruit and vegetables, chilled goods or bakery
• Cashier, working the till
• Shelf stocker, filling shelves and getting the store ready for the day
• Warehouse worker and order picker, putting together goods for the stores
• Warehouse helper, supporting the team with all warehouse tasks

As a career changer at Aldi Süd, you earn at least 16 euros an hour (about $17.90), and many colleagues earn more depending on role and experience.

Lidl lists similar entry routes on its minimum wage page, from student jobs in sales at a minimum of 16 euros (about $17.90) to forklift driving, where the role is also of interest to unskilled workers and only needs a forklift licence (translated).

How Do You Apply at Aldi Süd or Lidl?

At Aldi Süd, you apply online on the careers site, with no cover letter needed. The company asks for a current and complete CV, plus relevant certificates depending on the role. An online application takes about 5 minutes, there is no application deadline as long as a job is online, and the preferred file formats are PDF, JPG, PNG, DOC or DOCX, up to a maximum of 10 MB.

At Lidl, jobs as sales assistant, order picker, forklift driver, warehouse worker or temporary helper need no cover letter, CV or certificates (translated). You click apply in the listing, fill in a questionnaire in the Lidl application assistant and send it. Lidl does not accept speculative applications, but you can sign up for its job alert email instead. The maximum total size of all attachments is 6 MB (translated).

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

The real change is at the bottom of the pay ladder. A new cashier or shelf stocker will start on at least 16 euros an hour at Aldi Süd (about $17.90) or 16 euros an hour as a Lidl sales helper (about $17.90), while the legal minimum from January is lower.

• Check who runs the store. Aldi Nord says it follows the retail collective agreements, and the 16 euro (about $17.90) announcement came from Aldi Süd and Lidl.
• Read the pay range, not just the floor. The top of the Aldi Süd cashier range sits well above the minimum on its pay table, so experience and region can be worth more than the floor.
• Know how the floor works. At Lidl the entry wage is at least 16 euros for contracts starting from 1 December (about $17.90), and lower agreed rates are topped up to at least 16 euros (about $17.90).
• Count the extras. Holiday pay, Christmas pay and the Lidl staff discount add value on top of the hourly rate.

If both chains make you an offer, compare them in writing before you negotiate a job offer.

Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: A pay floor tells you where you start, not where you stay. Pick the employer whose pay table shows you the next step up, and ask in the interview how long it usually takes to reach it.

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People Also Asked

Q: When does the 16 euro (about $17.90) minimum start at Aldi Süd and Lidl?

A: Aldi Süd raises its minimum hourly wage from 15 euros (about $16.78) to 16 euros (about $17.90) on December 1, 2026, and Lidl lifts its minimum entry wage to at least 16 euros on December 1, 2026 (about $17.90).

Q: What is the legal minimum wage in Germany in 2027?

A: The legal minimum is 14.60 euros gross an hour from January 1, 2027 (about $16.33), up from 13.90 euros in 2026 (about $15.55).

Q: Does Aldi Nord pay the same minimum as Aldi Süd?

A: Aldi Nord says it follows the retail collective agreements, under which the agreed minimum pay rises in three steps to 14.90 euros by May 2027 (about $16.67), and that its non-tariff supplements keep it well above the legal minimum wage.

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