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German contributions 2026: four branches, two ceilings, one rate the statute gets wrong

Germany's 2026 social insurance rates and the Rechengrößen ceilings of EUR 8,450 and EUR 5,812.50 a month — and the two figures an employer cannot read off the statute book.

21 August 20267 min read

Czech employer contributions 2026: 24.8 %, 9 % and a ceiling of CZK 2,350,416

Three employer rates for social insurance, one health insurance rate split into thirds, and the 2026 maximum assessment base — what an employer with staff in Czechia owes.

18 August 20268 min read

Posting workers in the EU: from minimum rates of pay to remuneration, and the 12-month rule

The 1996 directive fixed a floor of host-state terms. The 2018 revision replaced minimum rates of pay with remuneration and put a duration rule on top of it.

14 August 20267 min read

The EU Blue Card salary threshold is a band, not a number: 1.0 to 1.6 times national average pay

Directive (EU) 2021/1883 fixes the multiplier range and the six-month contract floor, then leaves the Blue Card salary figure itself to each member state.

31 July 20267 min read

Industries & Skills

Cedefop's skills forecast to 2035: over 4% employment growth, and the unit that changes the answer

The 2026 release projects EU-27 employment up over 4% from 2023 to 2035 and ICT professionals and technicians up 2.5% a year. Of the five quoted, one is cumulative, four annual, none a hiring plan.

11 August 20268 min read

Research & Data

EU hourly labour costs, €12.0 to €56.8: what the Eurostat measure counts

Eurostat's 2025 series puts hourly labour costs at €12.0 in Bulgaria and €56.8 in Luxembourg. What the figure includes, what it excludes, and why the ranking is not a cost comparison.

4 August 20267 min read

International Hiring

The EU Blue Card salary threshold is a band, not a number: 1.0 to 1.6 times national average pay

Directive (EU) 2021/1883 fixes the multiplier range and the six-month contract floor, then leaves the Blue Card salary figure itself to each member state.

31 July 20267 min read

Research & Data

The job vacancy rate reads 2.6% and 2.8% for Germany in the same quarter

Eurostat publishes the job vacancy rate in an adjusted and an unadjusted version. For Q4 2025 they disagree by up to 0.2 points and reorder the country ranking.

25 July 20266 min read