According to the National Association of Health Insurance Funds (GKV), hourly wages for employees in long-term care have risen to an average of 24.50 euros per hour. The association announced that this was an increase of 3.4 percent compared to the previous year. Long-term care involves caring for those in need of care over a long period of time, for example in a nursing home.
The numbers come right in the middle of the political debate about care reform. On Wednesday, the Federal Cabinet launched the first stage of such a reform, which is primarily intended to initially alleviate the extreme financial difficulties of long-term care insurance, among other things through higher contributions for those without children. For further reform steps, a commission will be set up to develop proposals by January.
Geriatric nurses earn an average of 4,438 euros gross
Broken down by qualification, according to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, nursing specialists earn an average of 28.03 euros per hour (+ 3.6 percent), nursing assistants, i.e. assistants with at least one year of training, earn 23.36 euros (+ 3.3 percent) and nursing assistants without training earn an average of 20.96 euros (+ 3.5 percent).
According to the Federal Employment Agency (BA), nursing professionals in geriatric care have an average gross salary of 4,438 euros per month, and in nursing it is 4,587 euros. According to BA information, around 1.8 million employees subject to social security contributions worked in the nursing sector in 2025, 2 percent more than in the previous year and 320,000 more than in 2015. The reason given is the increased need for care.
GKV: Higher wages affect personal contributions
Nursing staff can continue to rely on being paid fairly and in line with general economic development, said GKV boss Oliver Blatt. “The other side of the coin is that, due to the partial benefit system in long-term care, higher wages always have a direct impact on the personal contributions of those in need of care. And they have been rising unchecked for years.”
Nursing home residents now pay an average of more than 3,300 euros per month out of their own pockets nationwide, 256 euros more than a year ago, as figures from the Association of Substitute Insurance Funds show. The SPD is calling for a cap on personal contributions, the Union is against it and would rather have “socially acceptable performance subsidies,” as Health Minister Carsten Linnemann said on ZDF.
Nursing care insurance with a billion-dollar deficit
Nursing insurance is under extreme financial pressure. The main reason for the financial hardship is the sharp increase in the number of people in need of care. Linnemann (CDU) spoke of a tripling to six million within 20 years.
The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, which also represents the nursing care funds, expects a 1.2 billion deficit this year. A deficit of 7.6 billion euros is expected next year and, according to the government's draft bill, there is a risk of deficits in the double-digit billion range over the next few years.
The draft still has to go through the Bundestag and Bundesrat and is likely to be changed there. The plan is to cancel planned benefit increases in 2028. “Technically sensible” changes to the assessment are intended to limit the increase in the number of people in need of care. The contribution for childless people is to increase by 0.3 percentage points to 4.5 percent on January 1st. For parents it remains at 3.6 percent, with lower rates for two children or more.
The Left speaks of an “orgy of cuts”
DAK boss Andreas Storm expressed constitutional concerns about the contribution differences in the “Rheinische Post”. The spread should not go any further. The Federal Government's Commissioner for the Disabled, Jürgen Dusel, criticized: "This law is not a care reorganization law, but a savings law." Caring relatives need relief, not additional burdens.
“The draft for care reform remains an orgy of cuts on the backs of millions of people in need of care,” said Left parliamentary group leader Sören Pellmann. His party is calling for personal contributions in nursing homes to be reduced to zero. Private long-term care insurance, capital income and income up to a significantly higher contribution assessment limit should be used for financing.
