by Porsche Reveals Salary Details for the First Time: Nearly 40% of Employees Receive Six-Figure Amounts
Have you ever wondered how much you could earn if your salary came from Porsche? This question came up at the company’s annual general meeting, and the automaker was forced to disclose its internal pay structure, showing the behind-the-scenes workings of the HR department for the first time.
40% of Employees Earn Over $115,000 Per Year
Porsche employs 23,000 people, and 9,082 of them in 2025 received a taxable gross income of over €100,000 ($114,200). This means that nearly 40% of the staff have a six-figure salary, which is an impressive figure for a company of this scale.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, this six-figure income places these employees in the top 10% of all German workers and is almost double the national average gross salary of €54,066 ($61,700), including bonuses. This gap speaks volumes about both German salaries and Porsche.
Moving further up the career ladder, exactly 201 Porsche employees in 2025 had an annual salary of over €300,000 ($342,500), and 28 of them crossed the €500,000 ($570,700) mark.
Only three employees are in the millionaire’s club, earning over €1 million ($1,141,600) per year. German newspaper Automobilwoche reports that even these figures cover management levels below the board, so the actual ceiling is even higher.
The Highest-Paid Individuals
Former Porsche CEO Oliver Blume received a compensation package of €1.90 million ($2.17 million) in 2025, his last year with the brand. He was simultaneously managing VW, so his actual earnings were significantly higher. Porsche will disclose the salary of current CEO Michael Leiters for 2026 in the next annual report, so the question of income at the highest position remains open.
The two highest-paid executives at Porsche in 2025 were head of development Michael Steiner and head of production Albrecht Reimold. They earned €2.10 million ($2.40 million) and €2.05 million ($2.34 million) respectively, surpassing their former CEO.
Another notable detail is the €266,588 ($304,400) paid to former Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke, despite him leaving the company at the end of February. Additionally, Meschke received a huge severance payment of over €10 million ($11.4 million), as Porsche had to buy out the remainder of his contract, which ran until 2027.
Jochen Breckner, who took over as CFO on March 1, 2025, earned €1.10 million ($1.26 million) for the remainder of the year. This matches the salary of Chief Commercial Officer Matthias Becker, who started on the same day. The report also reveals other senior officials who left, receiving seven-figure incomes before leaving.
The numbers may seem impressive, but the truth is that Porsche pays its CEO and board members significantly less than other German companies. For context, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse’s annual compensation in 2025 was €7.85 million ($8.96 million), and Mercedes-Benz Group Chairman Ola Källenius earned €8.78 million ($10 million) over the same period.
Those Earning Less Than $100,000
If you are considering a job at Porsche, salary data from the employer review portal Kununu shows what you can expect for positions below the six-figure threshold.
According to data provided by employees, the company pays an average of €91,800 ($104,800) to a project manager, €87,500 ($99,900) to a development engineer, €80,000 ($91,400) to an HR manager, and €75,600 ($86,300) to a procurement manager.
For operational and support roles, the platform lists averages: €61,700 ($70,500) for an administrative assistant, €58,000 ($66,200) for a factory worker, and €51,300 ($58,600) for a logistics specialist.
Interestingly, Porsche’s salary disclosure comes amidst challenging financial times for the company, with profitability having dropped significantly. High salaries for a significant portion of the staff could indicate a talent retention strategy in a highly competitive industry, especially in Germany, where other automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz offer even higher compensation for top management. At the same time, payments to former executives, particularly the huge severance package for Lutz Meschke, underscore how costly personnel decisions at the highest level can be. For the average worker, Porsche remains one of the most attractive employers in the country, offering salaries that significantly exceed the market average, even for entry-level positions.
