Working in Berlin
Berlin continues on its successful course: The number of employed people in Berlin has been rising steadily since 2005.
The number of employed persons increased by 1.6 percent compared to the previous year to roughly 2.2 million in 2023. That was around 34,000 more people than the average for 2022. The nationwide average was +0.7 percent.
(Source: Berlin Brandenburg Statistics Office, 2024)
Berlin companies offer jobs and career opportunities for skilled workers from all over the world. The majority are small and medium-sized businesses - six out of ten employees are employed by these SMEs. In the approx. 128,000 employing companies, more than 99 percent have fewer than 250 employees.
On the other hand, Berlin now has over 1,000 companies with at least 250 employees and thus around 41 percent of employees subject to social security contributions under contract.
Companies with employees subject to social security contributions and marginal part-time employees
| Companies | Employees subject to social security contributions | |
| Berlin | 127,883 | 1,705,680 |
| 1 to 9 employees | 100,633 | 197,514 |
| 10 to 49 employees | 21,500 | 366,164 |
| 50 to 249 employees | 4,728 | 427,025 |
| 250 and more employees | 1,022 | 714,977 |
(Source: Employment Agency for Labor, key date: 30.06.2023)
Berlin’s largest employers
Berlin's largest employer is Deutsche Bahn with more than 20.000 employees, followed by Charité, the Vivantes Network for Health, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Tesla and Deutschen Post DHL.
Here you can find the list of Berlin’s top 100 employers.
Price and wage levels
Berlin was long regarded as a city for career starters that was “poor but sexy”. This image has now become outdated. Berlin has caught up significantly with other federal states and the national average when it comes to wage arrears. With its diverse and therefore resilient labor market made up of companies from a wide range of sectors, foundations, interest groups and research institutions, Berlin offers security and a variety of opportunities for career development and advancement.
Federal Employment Agency
The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) maintains local agencies in every region. Its mission includes the following:
- Helping place candidates in vocational training programs and jobs;
- Advising employers;
- Promoting professional training and development;
- Information about subsidy and promotion programs for employers.
