Salaries in procurement in Germany vary greatly by position. Operational buyers earn on average around 55,000 euros, while strategic buyers are around 80,000 euros. Purchasing managers average 114,000 euros, with the CPOs (Chief Procurement Officers) at the top with 163,000 euros per year. These figures come from the Procurement Salary Report for the DACH region 2025 by Kloepfel by Epsa. 1,936 participants from Germany, Austria and Switzerland took part, including 1,146 purchasing and supply chain professionals from Germany.
Employees who take on strategic responsibility and actively contribute to topics such as sustainability or automation and digitalization, and who use AI in the company, benefit the most.
When comparing average salaries in Germany, the industry shows an overall average of 97,000 euros. Services are at 91,000 euros, with IT and telecommunications at 112,000 euros topping the list, and the construction industry at 74,000 euros well below. In trade, the median income is 92,000 euros, with clear premiums in online and brick-and-mortar retail. In the public sector, salaries are
91,000 euros – the best paid are in infrastructure operations at 104,000 euros, while administration and authorities lag at 80,000 euros.
Make performance measurable, earn more
Where performance is not measured (19 percent of cases), salaries are about 19 percent below the 96,000-euro average – particularly among operational buyers. Most often, savings, on-time delivery, and supply security are counted as criteria for performance measurement. Less frequently cited criteria such as risk management, sustainability, or digitization are associated with above-average incomes, especially for CPOs, purchasing managers, and lead buyers.
Location also significantly influences salaries according to the report. Baden-Württemberg (+10 percent) and Bavaria (+5 percent) are clearly above the national average. Berlin surprises with top salaries for purchasing managers of 128,000 euros. At the lower end are Saxony (−22 percent), Saarland (−28 percent) and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (−32 percent). A uniform trend by cardinal directions does not emerge according to Kloepfel; rather, the level depends on the respective economic structure.
The combination pays off
43 percent of buyers are responsible
for both direct and indirect procurement and therefore earn around ten percent more than the overall average of 96,000 euros. Those who focus exclusively on direct purchasing are ten percent below, while purchasing managers in the indirect sector perform particularly strongly at 122,000 euros.
Multiple responses allowed: 44 percent of participants in the report buy indirect materials and services, 37 percent oversee project procurement, 29 percent for capital goods and trading goods. Furthermore, 69 percent procure direct material – by far the most common and at the same time the most lucrative area. Lead Buyers achieve 123,000 euros here, Supply Chain Managers 138,000 euros and Purchasing Managers 139,000 euros. At the top are CPOs with up to 196,000 euros in direct material purchasing.
Gender gap remains
Women in purchasing earn on average 21 percent less than men. Higher part-time rates and a lower presence in leadership positions explain part of the difference, according to Kloepfel, yet a gender gap of eleven percent remains.
Only 2.4 percent of
respondents work part-time. Overtime, however, is widespread: 28 percent work five hours or more per week. CPOs work at this pace in 69 percent of cases and achieve top salaries from 159,000 euros to 182,000 euros.
Those who are very satisfied with their development opportunities earn on average 114,000 euros, while rather dissatisfied individuals only reach 82,000 euros. The perception of fairness also appears to have an impact according to the report: participants who rate their salary as “very fair” are at 119,000 euros, well above those who consider it “not at all fair” (69,000 euros).
Digitalization brings salary advantages
Companies are already using artificial intelligence (AI) or plan to deploy it (39 percent each). For users, it pays off: they earn on average 21 percent more than those who do not use it, depending on the sector up to 38 percent.
The Purchaser Salary Report 2025 can auf der Kloepfel-Website kostenfrei heruntergeladen werden. For better clarity, all salary figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
