Skilled workers without an academic degree earn 38,392 euros. With a degree, they earn 64,712 euros. Managers earn 82,639 euros as non-graduates and those with a degree earn almost 118,000 euros.

Managers earn the most - even without a degree

Specialists over the age of 50 earn around 42,500 euros, while managers earn over 104,700 euros. Employees in managerial positions receive a higher salary if they have a degree (117,981 euros). Academic specialists receive significantly less at 64,712 euros per year. In comparison: 50-year-old managers without a university degree receive 82,639 euros and specialists 38,392 euros.

"Those who do not have an academic title to show for their age, but have reached management levels through their performance and ambitions, often earn more than colleagues with an academic title," says Philip Bierbach, Managing Director of Gehalt.de.

Male managers earn almost 30,000 euros more than their female colleagues

Male professionals over the age of 50 earn 50,855 euros, while women earn 36,159 euros. The difference in salary among managers is even greater: Here, men receive 108,939 euros and women 80,714 euros.

Bosses earn the most

The experts at Gehalt.de also found that female specialists in small companies earn 33,301 euros. Their male colleagues in companies of the same size earn 41,302 euros. In large companies, women receive 47,030 euros and men 72,851 euros.

The difference is more pronounced for managers: while male bosses and department heads in small companies earn 90,005 euros, women in management positions earn 66,595 euros. In large companies, male managers are among the highest earners with 123,199 euros per year, while their female colleagues earn 97,875 euros.

Top sectors for "old hands": Semiconductors and pharmaceuticals

The top sectors for employees aged 50 plus include the semiconductor industry (89,794 euros), pharmaceuticals (70,043 euros), aviation (69,017 euros), banks (67,327 euros) and management consultancy (61,182 euros). "Older employees are a valuable part of a company. On the one hand, they serve as mentors for younger employees and at the same time as moral support in turbulent times, as they bring a lot of experience with them," concludes Bierbach.

The comparison portal Gehalts.de examined 40,280 salary statements from employees aged 50 and over. The data was analyzed according to specialists and managers, academics and non-academics as well as gender and company size. In addition, the most lucrative sectors for employees aged 50 and over were examined.

There are large gaps in the gender comparisons, but these are unadjusted values. Parameters such as professional experience, region and educational background are not taken into account.

The median describes the middle of all data: 50% are above the value, 50% below. Q1 (1st quartile) means that 25% of salaries are below this value, Q3 (3rd quartile) means that 25% of salaries are above this value.