Logistics specialists have an extensive and complex job. Logistics involves a great deal of responsibility, but also offers many opportunities for advancement. However, what does the earnings picture actually look like in the industry? Sooner or later, anyone who is thinking about a career in logistics will ask themselves the question of how much money you can earn. Does the logistician salary really make entering the industry worthwhile? This blog will explain everything you need to know.
In this article, you will find out key information about logistician salaries. You will not just find out about salaries in the industry, but also where you can earn particularly well and which factors and influences have a direct impact on your salary as a logistician. As in all professions,a variety of criteria, conditions and influences feed into earning opportunities in the logistics industry.
Study Programmes in English
Full-time Master's in Global Supply Chain Management.
Study Programmes in German
Full-time Bachelor's in Business Administration and Management - Specializing in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
Dual Bachelor's in Logistics Management.
How much do you earn as a logistics manager or after studying logistics?
Generally, the logistician salary is high enough that even as a young professional in a smaller company, you won't have to worry financially. As a rule, you can expect at least 2500 euros a month in your job, but the starting salary is more often in the range of 3000 to 4000 euros. This applies for newcomers without professional experience. But if you have professional experience, the starting salary is even higher. In that case, expect to earn up to 5000 euros or more per month. If you make the leap to a top position, the logistician salary will rise even further.
As in many professions, however, earnings as a logistician also strongly depend on which company you work for and the position you hold. As a logistician involved in production, for example, you have a great responsibility and a very important role. This means that you can also expect a better salary compared to, for example, a dispatcher who has less responsibility. If you also have a logistics degree or work experience, then these factors can help you negotiate a higher salary. But as a logistician, you can also expect a salary increase after some time. Collective agreements in the logistics industry should regulate your income and specify exactly how your earnings will rise.
The qualifications that you bring with you are also important in determining a logistician salary. You can work in logistics with an apprenticeship, but as a young professional with a degree, both your career opportunities and your salary will be much better. It’s possible to make up for this difference with professional experience. But even so, a trained logistician with professional experience will earn an even higher salary. If you really want to earn well in the industry and pursue a career, then studying logistics is definitely a good idea. In addition, studying can also lead to roles with more responsibility, and it helps you access higher corporate positions.
Starting salary in logistics
The starting logistician salary is difficult to define exactly, but we can offer some general estimates. The starting salary will generally be between 2000 and 3000 euros per month. Exactly how high the salary is depends on many different factors and influences. The location of the company and its size as well as the industry and your professional qualifications have as much impact as the professional experience you bring with you when you start your new job in logistics. More experience, better qualifications and working in a larger company will usually improve your salary significantly.
Factors that influence the logistician salary
In almost all professions, a variety of factors and peculiarities have an impact on the salary that you can earn. These include classic factors like company size and location. But they also include industry-specific characteristics and economic influences, such as supply and demand. In other words: It is difficult to say in general terms how much money you can earn as a logistician, as many influences play an important role here. In this section, we'll show you which factors these are and what you need to pay attention to.
The size of the company
Smaller companies pay less than larger companies. That’s no secret. The reason is that in larger companies, you will have more responsibility and usually more work. In addition, larger companies have more financial resources than small businesses. The logistics sector is no exception. As a logistician, the size of the company in which you work plays an important role in how high your starting salary is and what your future earning potential looks like. It is therefore best to make sure that you join a larger company even as a young professional, unless you can compensate for the salary in other areas..
Your professional experience
In every job, the experience that you bring with you when you join has an impact on the salary. As a complete newcomer to logistics and the professional world, you will therefore have to make do with a lower salary, compared to a logistician who already has a few years of experience. Interestingly, general work experience and not just experience as a logistician is decisive. You can therefore expect a higher salary if you already have experience in another, related profession. The good news is also that there are collective agreements for the logistics sector. The timing and size of salary increments are therefore clearly defined.
More responsibility means more money
As always, the level of responsibility you take on affects your logistician salary. More responsibility means more money in almost all professions. If you assume such a position of responsibility, you can also look forward to a higher logistician salary. The disadvantage of this is usually that positions of responsibility are usually only awarded to experienced logisticians who already have many years of professional experience and, in most cases, an advanced degree. As a young professional without a degree, you will rarely occupy this kind of position.
Company location and regional differences
In many industries, company location plays an important role when it comes to salary. Even decades after German reunification, there are still regional differences in salaries. As a result, logistician jobs in the new federal states earn less than logisticians in the old states. But that's not all. There can also be large differences from city to city or from region to region. Important distribution centers such as Cologne, Hamburg or Munich generally offer better earning opportunities than companies at other locations in the same federal state. When choosing a company for your logistics career, it is therefore worthwhile to look at the company location and compare different cities and federal states.
Academic degree
Of course, degree qualifications play an important role in the logistician's salary. The better-qualified you are, the higher your income. Logisticians with an academic degree always do better than those who work as logisticians with vocational training. However, there are also differences between the bachelor's and master's degrees as well as among logistics professionals with a doctorate, who tend to earn the most and can look forward to a very high salary.
Industry-specific differences
As in any profession, industry-specific differences play an important role when it comes to logistician salary levels. In the medical and pharmaceutical industry as well as in the energy sector, logisticians with degrees earn the most. However, even with a degree, it is sometimes difficult to get into these industries. On the other hand, logistics specialists without a degree have virtually no opportunities. But professional specialism also plays an important role here. Supply chain managers earn the most, while buyers and other logistics jobs earn less. It is therefore worthwhile to look at the industry and its characteristics before you apply for a job.
Sample salaries in the logistics sector
In this section, you will now learn about some example salaries in the logistics industry. This table should give you an overview of what average salaries await you in the various industries.
Readers should note that the above values are only guidelines. The applicant's age, company size, work experience and the location of the company are all factors that can affect the logistician salary. You might therefore find information about logisticians from another industry or with a lower degree earning more money because they have more experience or work in a lucrative location in a large company. But these general salary numbers are a good guide nonetheless.
Conclusion and summary
That brings us to the end of our article about logistician salary levels. Hopefully we were able to give you an overview of the earning opportunities in logistics, so that you now have an idea about financial prospects and prospects in this profession. In principle, some general conditions apply here. The bigger the company and the more experience, the more money there is. But even as a newcomer, you can earn a good salary in logistics and have many opportunities for education and training. So you rarely have to worry about finances in the logistics industry.
Looking for a suitable logistics degree?
Did our article about salaries in logistics appeal to you? Do you find the job of a logistician and the earning opportunities in the industry interesting? If so, studying at CBS might be just the right thing to start your new career. We offer you several courses of study in logistics. You can find more information about this and the requirements for enrollment on our Logistics Studies Pillar page.
