Facts: Germany's Sheltered Workshops for People with Disabilities
What are they?
Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen (WfbM) are workplaces reserved for people with disabilities. They are formally part of Germany's rehabilitation system — not the labour market.
How many people work there?
Around 283,000 people (2023 data). The number rose from 278,000 in 2014 to a peak of 294,000 in 2019, before declining slightly.
What do they earn?
Average monthly remuneration: approx. €233 (2024). This equates to approximately €2 per hour.
Germany's statutory minimum wage (2026): €13.90 per hour.
Why doesn't minimum wage apply?
Workshop employees are classified in an "employee-like legal relationship", not as ordinary employees. This places them outside employment law and minimum wage legislation.
What does the UN say?
The UN CRPD Committee has called on Germany to phase out the system since 2014 and invest in genuine inclusion in the open labour market. Germany has declined.
What is the transition rate?
Only 0.1–0.2% of workshop employees move into ordinary employment each year.
What is happening now?
- ZDF Magazin Royale's "Grundi-Gate" episode (May 2026) triggered national debate
- Civil liberties group GFF has initiated legal proceedings against the wage system
- BMAS concluded a federal-state dialogue on reform in May 2026
- BAG WfbM (sector association) has put forward two reform models: a basic income model and an employee status model with minimum wage
- Private work-integration enterprises (WISEs) and Dortmund-based research projects demonstrate that inclusive employment with full wages is achievable
Sources: Deutsches Institut für Menschenrechte · BAG WfbM · BMAS · GFF · ZDF Magazin Royale · Sozialforschungsstelle Dortmund · kobinet-nachrichten.org