More than 71 percent of the skilled workers in eastern Germany earn less than the western German skilled workers on average. In total, there are 1.59 million skilled workers in the new federal states, according to the federal government's response to a request from AfD MP René Springer, which the German Press Agency in Berlin has received.

More than a third of skilled workers in East Germany (38 percent) also earn less on average than helpers in West Germany. In Saxony, this applies to 44 percent of skilled workers, in Saxony-Anhalt it is almost 40 percent. As a rule, helper activities include simpler work that does not require any relevant formal vocational training qualification. The information is based on figures from the Federal Employment Agency.

Overall, the wage gap between East and West has narrowed only slightly over the past 20 years, as Springer emphasized, citing the information. Springer sees this as a major reason for the "dissatisfaction with the established parties in the East".