Despite equal qualifications, identical responsibilities and the same career progression: women in SCM and logistics earn around 15 percent less than their male colleagues across all hierarchical levels. This is the result of the BME Salary Report Logistics and Supply Chain 2025, a survey of around 500 professionals from logistics and supply chain management in Germany, which will be presented on 13 November at the 60th BME Symposium.
The current gross base salary shows the difference: while men, according to the survey, earn on average €81,216, the median income of women is €68,571. When taking into account additional benefits such as special payments, bonuses and salary supplements, women reach a total income of €76,175, while men reach €87,000.
Thus, the survey in the logistics and SCM sector confirms the trend identified last year in the Purchasing Salary Report: gender pay inequality is also large in these areas.
Salary alignment with increasing
responsibility
The greater the professional experience, the more the pay gap between men and women in Germany widens. While men enter the workforce with earnings of around €71,000 per year, women begin their careers with an annual income of on average €65,714. With more than 20 years of experience, the median income for men is €117,950 per year and for women €102,126 per year.
A positive finding of the study is that, for comparable responsibility for employees, salaries of men and women are almost on a level: at the level of department heads they average €95,000 for men and €93,868 for women.
Salary differentials vary by industry
In industry comparisons, the largest pay gaps between men and women were recorded in the areas of logistics and supply chain management in mechanical engineering. In the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, salaries are significantly more homogeneous. The highest salaries are earned by logistics and
SCM managers in the energy and financial services sectors.
Higher pay for digitalization competence
The survey shows that in the fields of logistics and SCM there is a broad spectrum of software knowledge: 99 percent of respondents have knowledge of Excel, 85 percent work with ERP systems, 34 percent with databases, and 24 percent have experience with additional logistics software.
IT skills have a significant impact on salary development: professionals with ERP, database or other logistics software experience earn on average considerably more than their colleagues without these skills. Notably, additional logistics software knowledge increases the gross total annual salary on average to more than €90,000.
Overtime is the rule
An indication of a high workload in logistics and supply chain management is the result of the survey that 83 percent of respondents report regularly working overtime. Among 17 percent of participants, at least ten overtime hours per week are incurred.
The survey also shows that 42 percent of professionals and managers in the field of logistics and supply chain management do not receive any compensation for the extra work performed. Of those who do receive compensation, this is predominantly through time off in lieu (34 percent).
The conclusion from BME chief executive Dr. Lars Kleeberg: “Logistics and supply chain management have been key functions of the German economy for years. Therefore, the central message of the BME Salary Report 2025 is: compensation in logistics and supply chain management is far more than a cost factor. It is an instrument to create stability, to secure innovation, and to ensure the future viability of companies and supply chains. Those who invest in fair pay for their specialists and managers ultimately invest in the resilience of their entire value chain.”
A detailed analysis of the study results can be found in the December issue
