Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit) in Germany 2026 — Pay, Employment Contracts, Rights, Bonuses and What Foreign Workers Need to Know

What Is Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit)?

Zeitarbeit is an employment model in which an employee signs an employment contract with a staffing company but is actually assigned to work for another company.

The legal German term is Arbeitnehmerüberlassung, meaning the assignment of an employee to another company.

There are three parties involved:

• Arbeitnehmer — employee;
• Verleiher — the staffing agency that employs the worker;
• Entleiher — the client company where the employee actually works.

A staffing company engaged in Arbeitnehmerüberlassung generally requires authorisation from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit.

A simple example:

Understanding this three-party relationship is important because it explains many of the other rules and characteristics of Zeitarbeit.

What Do Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit), Agency Work (Leiharbeit) and Staffing Agency (Leihfirma) Mean?

Several different terms are used in Germany for essentially the same employment model.

• Zeitarbeit — a widely used everyday term for working through a staffing agency.
• Leiharbeit — another commonly used term for agency work.
• Arbeitnehmerüberlassung — the legal term.
• Zeitarbeitsfirma / Personaldienstleister — a company that employs workers and assigns them to client companies.

At the workplace, you may also hear terms such as Leihfirma, Leiharbeiter, Zeitarbeiter or simply Leute von der Agentur.

For example:

So do not be confused if your employment contract refers to Arbeitnehmerüberlassung, the job advertisement says Zeitarbeit, and people at the workplace talk about the Leihfirma.

In Which Jobs Is Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit) Common?

Zeitarbeit is not limited to warehouse jobs.

Staffing agencies provide workers for many different industries. However, job advertisements frequently include positions such as:

• Lagerhelfer — warehouse assistant;
• Kommissionierer — order picker;
• Staplerfahrer — forklift driver;
• Produktionshelfer — production assistant;
• Produktionsmitarbeiter — production worker;
• Verpacker — packer;
• Montagehelfer — assembly assistant;
• Reinigungskraft — cleaner.

This is one reason why Zeitarbeit can be a possible route into a first job for people who have recently arrived in Germany, are still improving their German or want to gain their first work experience in Germany.

What Is the DGB/GVP Collective Bargaining System for Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit)?

When reading a Zeitarbeit employment contract or pay conditions, you may come across the abbreviations DGB and GVP.

DGB — Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund is the German Trade Union Confederation. In the temporary agency work sector, eight DGB trade unions jointly participate in collective bargaining.

GVP — Gesamtverband der Personaldienstleister is the employers' association representing staffing and personnel service companies.

In simple terms:

The two sides conclude Tarifverträge — collective agreements, which regulate pay, employee classification, working hours and other employment conditions.

Older documents may also contain the abbreviations BAP and iGZ.

These were previously two separate employer organisations in the German temporary staffing sector. On 1 December 2023, they merged to form the GVP, and from 1 January 2026, the previous collective bargaining systems were combined into a single DGB/GVP system. Limited transitional arrangements apply to certain former iGZ companies.

This is why an older employment contract may refer to DGB/iGZ or DGB/BAP, while newer documents refer to DGB/GVP.

How Much Does Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit) Pay in Germany in 2026?

Under the DGB/GVP collective bargaining system, pay is determined according to an Entgeltgruppe — pay grade.

Collectively agreed pay rates increased by 2.99% from 1 January 2026 and by a further 2.5% from 1 September 2026. The next increase of 3.5% is scheduled for 1 April 2027.

From 1 September 2026, the basic hourly rates are:

The next collectively agreed pay increase is scheduled for 1 April 2027.

What Is an Entgeltgruppe — Pay Grade?

Entgeltgruppe means pay grade. In employment contracts, it is usually abbreviated to EG.

For example:

The higher the pay grade, the higher the corresponding basic hourly rate under the collective agreement.

However, it is very important to understand that classification depends on the work actually performed and the requirements associated with that work. The DGB/GVP system has a separate Entgeltrahmentarifvertrag governing employee classification.

Having a vocational qualification therefore does not automatically mean that a worker will receive a higher EG in every assignment.

If someone performs simple helper duties in a particular assignment, their classification is assessed in relation to those duties.

Before signing a contract, it is worth asking:

How Much Is That Per Month?

For illustration only, if we assume 40 working hours per week and an average of 4.33 weeks per month:

This is only a simplified example and not a guaranteed monthly salary.

Actual earnings depend on the working hours specified in the contract, the Entgeltgruppe, hours worked, the working time account and any applicable bonuses or allowances.

What Is a Branchenzuschlag — Industry-Specific Pay Supplement?

In certain industries, Zeitarbeit employees may be entitled to a Branchenzuschlag — industry-specific pay supplement in addition to their basic collectively agreed hourly rate.

The DGB/GVP collective agreement provides for the collectively agreed pay to be increased by the applicable Branchenzuschlag where a separate industry-specific collective agreement applies.

As a result, two employees in the same EG may not necessarily receive exactly the same actual hourly pay.

When starting an assignment with a client, it is worth asking:

What Is Equal Pay — Equal Pay for Comparable Work?

Equal Pay refers to the principle that a Zeitarbeit employee should receive pay comparable to that of a comparable employee at the client company.

The German Temporary Employment Act (AÜG) generally provides for the principle of equal treatment. However, where a collective agreement applies, deviations may be permitted under certain conditions during the first nine months of an assignment.

Special industry supplement agreements can allow a longer deviation if the employee's pay is gradually increased. Under such a system, equivalent pay must be reached no later than after 15 months of assignment.

If you work for the same client company for a longer period, it is worth asking:

How Long Can You Work for the Same Client — Maximum Assignment Period (Überlassungshöchstdauer)?

Another important rule in Zeitarbeit is the Überlassungshöchstdauer — maximum assignment period.

The basic statutory rule is:

For example, Jānis is employed by staffing agency A and works at company B.

The 18-month limit applies to Jānis's assignment to client company B.

Importantly, the relevant factor is the client company, not merely one of its individual factories or locations.

Changing staffing agencies does not automatically mean that the 18-month period starts again from zero.

If the interruption between assignments to the same client does not exceed three months, previous periods are generally taken into account.

Is It Possible to Work for the Same Client for Longer Than 18 Months?

In certain cases, yes.

Industry collective agreements and company-level agreements based on them (Betriebsvereinbarung — works agreement) may provide for exceptions to the general 18-month limit.

Therefore, the collective bargaining rules applicable to the client company must be checked in each individual case.

As the 18-month point approaches, it can be useful to ask:

What Happens If the Staffing Agency Has No Assignment for Me?

This is one of the most important questions in Zeitarbeit.

Suppose your assignment at one factory ends on Friday, and on Monday the agency tells you:

This does not automatically mean:

Section 11 of the AÜG provides that the documentation of employment conditions must state what payments the Leiharbeitnehmer is entitled to during periods when they are not assigned to a client.

Even more importantly, an employee's right to remuneration in the event of Annahmeverzug — a situation in which the employer does not provide work even though the employee is ready to work cannot simply be excluded or restricted by the employment contract.

In simple terms: if the employment relationship with the agency continues and the employee is ready to work, the agency's business problem — that it currently has no client assignment available — does not by itself mean that the employee can simply be paid €0.

How Long Can You Be Without an Assignment?

The AÜG does not set one universal limit such as three, five or ten days.

Between two client assignments, there may be a verleihfreie Zeit — period without a client assignment.

As long as the employment relationship continues, the absence of a client assignment does not automatically make this period unpaid.

If the lack of work continues for a longer period, a separate question may arise concerning termination of employment.

However, that would involve a Kündigung — termination of employment, rather than the principle:

How Much Are You Paid During a Period Without an Assignment?

The exact amount is not the same for every employee.

The employment contract and the applicable collective agreement must be checked.

You should also not automatically assume that all supplements linked to specific working conditions at the client company — such as night-work supplements — will continue during a period without an assignment.

A useful question to ask the agency is:

What Is an Arbeitszeitkonto — Working Time Account?

An Arbeitszeitkonto is a working time account.

It records the difference between the required or agreed working time and the hours actually worked.

If you work more during a particular period, you may accumulate Plusstunden — credit hours.

Depending on the collective agreement and employment contract, these hours may later be compensated with time off or paid out.

Under the unified DGB/GVP collective bargaining system in 2026, the working time account is one of the issues regulated by the Manteltarifvertrag. The DGB also refers to a new rule under which the threshold for paying out accumulated credit hours has been reduced to 91 hours.

Before starting work, you should clarify:

It is particularly important to understand on what basis hours may be deducted from the Arbeitszeitkonto if the agency has no client assignment available on a particular day.

The AÜG protects an employee's right to remuneration in cases of Annahmeverzug.

Can You Work Overtime (Überstunden) in Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit)?

Yes.

However, it is important to distinguish between two things:

• Überstunden / Mehrarbeit — additional hours worked;
• Zuschlag — an additional payment for particular working conditions or under collective bargaining rules.

They are not the same thing.

Working one additional hour does not automatically mean that you will always receive, for example, a 25% supplement for every extra hour.

Additional hours may also be credited to your Arbeitszeitkonto.

Therefore, you should not be satisfied with a verbal statement such as:

You should clarify exactly what this means.

How Are Working Hours Recorded?

Accurate recording of working hours is particularly important in Zeitarbeit because the employee, staffing agency and client company are all involved.

In practice, a working time recording app may be used on the employee's smartphone or tablet.

For example, at the end of each working day, the employee records the number of hours worked that day. The direct supervisor at the client company checks the hours and confirms them electronically in the app.

At the same time, the client company may also maintain its own independent working time records.

For example, a shift supervisor may separately record the hours worked by all employees from a particular staffing agency and forward this information to the company's accounting department.

Why is this double-checking necessary?

The staffing agency pays its employee's wages while simultaneously invoicing the client company for the labour provided.

At the end of the month, the client company can compare the hours listed on the staffing agency's invoice with its own working time records.

For the employee, the same hours are important for the Lohnabrechnung — payslip/payroll statement.

Employees should therefore regularly check:

• regular working hours;
• Plusstunden / Überstunden — credit hours and overtime;
• night hours;
• hours worked on Sundays and public holidays;
• breaks;
• absences.

If the app allows it, it is useful to save your own working time records.

If the hours on your payslip do not match your own records, you can ask:

What Is Probezeit — the Probationary Period — in Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit)?

Probezeit is the probationary period at the beginning of an employment relationship.

It is important not to confuse:

• Probetag — trial day;
• Probezeit — probationary period after the employment relationship has begun.

Under the unified DGB/GVP collective bargaining system in 2026, the first six months of employment are the probationary period.

The DGB/GVP collective agreement provides special notice periods at the beginning of employment. According to the current DGB explanation, during the first three months employment can be terminated with one week's notice, while from the fourth month until the end of the sixth month the notice period is two weeks.

For newly hired employees, the employment contract may also provide for a one-day notice period during the first two weeks.

A useful question is:

What Happens After Probezeit — the Probationary Period?

After the special initial period under the collective agreement, the statutory notice periods generally apply.

However, reaching the six-month point does not mean that an employee can no longer be dismissed.

The legal framework governing the employment relationship and the applicable termination rules change. Depending on the other circumstances, the Kündigungsschutzgesetz — German Protection Against Dismissal Act may also become relevant.

In the event of a Kündigung, the provisions of the BGB, the Kündigungsschutzgesetz, the applicable collective agreement and the employment contract may all be relevant.

If the Client No Longer Needs Me, Does That Mean I Have Been Dismissed?

This is one of the most important distinctions in Zeitarbeit.

Remember:

Your employer is the staffing agency.

Therefore, if a factory says:

This may simply mean that the particular Einsatz beim Kunden — assignment at the client company is ending.

That is not automatically the same as Ende des Arbeitsverhältnisses — termination of the employment relationship with the staffing agency.

The agency may assign the employee to another client.

If the agency also wants to terminate the employment relationship, a Kündigung — termination of employment must take place in accordance with the rules applicable to the specific situation.

Is a Probetag — Trial Day — Paid?

The term Probetag can refer to different situations in Germany.

One situation is a short period of getting to know a company before an employment relationship begins.

A very different situation exists when the employment contract with the staffing agency is already in force, but the agency sends the employee to a client for a so-called Probetag.

If you actually perform normal work at the client company — for example, picking orders, packing products or working on a production line — you should not automatically assume that the word Probetag means an unpaid working day.

Before going to the client, ask:

Can the Client Company Hire Me Directly (Übernahme)?

Yes.

This is called Übernahme — direct hire by the client company.

Job advertisements often contain phrases such as:

• Übernahme möglich — direct hire may be possible;
• Chance auf Übernahme — opportunity to be hired directly by the client company.

However, the word möglich does not constitute a guarantee.

It is also important to understand the business side of Zeitarbeit.

As long as the employee works for the client through the staffing agency, the agency earns money from providing that labour.

If the client company hires the employee directly, the agency loses that worker as someone it can assign to the client.

For this reason, the contract between the staffing agency and the client company may include a Vermittlungsvergütung / Übernahmeprovision — recruitment or transfer fee.

Section 9 of the AÜG allows an appropriate fee to be agreed between the staffing agency and the client company when the client hires an employee following a previous agency assignment.

In practice, this can create the following situation:

• the employee wants to move to the client company;
• the client company wants to hire the employee;
• but the client must pay the staffing agency the contractually agreed fee for the direct hire.

This can be one reason why a company delays taking an agency worker on directly.

However, the agency cannot validly prohibit the client from employing the worker once the worker's employment relationship with the agency has ended. At the same time, the AÜG allows an appropriate recruitment fee to be agreed between the two companies.

A useful question for the employee is:

Can You Work in Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit) Without Good German?

For some helper positions, particularly in warehousing, production, packing or order picking, limited German may be enough to start working.

However, being able to start work without good German does not mean that German is unnecessary.

During your first days at work, you may already need to understand terms such as:

• Schichtplan — shift schedule;
• Arbeitszeitkonto — working time account;
• Stundennachweis — record of hours worked;
• Sicherheitsunterweisung — workplace safety briefing;
• Lohnabrechnung — payslip/payroll statement;
• Überstunden — overtime;
• Zuschlag — supplement or additional payment.

In a warehouse, you may also encounter:

• Wareneingang — goods receiving;
• Warenausgang — goods dispatch;
• Kommissionierung — order picking;
• Palette — pallet;
• Hubwagen — pallet truck;
• Gabelstapler — forklift.

Job-related German therefore helps not only when looking for work but also when understanding work instructions, your payslip and your employment rights.

Can Foreigners Work in Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit) in Germany?

EU citizens have free access to the German labour market.

For third-country nationals, the situation can be more complicated because the specific residence status and right to work must be taken into account.

A third-country national should therefore not automatically assume:

Before signing an employment contract, you should check your Aufenthaltstitel — residence permit and the employment rights stated in it.

What Should You Check in a Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit) Employment Contract?

Before signing an employment contract, it is not enough to look only at the hourly rate.

Check:

• Entgeltgruppe — pay grade;
• Stundenlohn — gross hourly wage;
• Tarifvertrag — applicable collective agreement;
• Arbeitszeit — contractual working hours;
• Arbeitszeitkonto — rules governing the working time account;
• Überstunden / Mehrarbeit — rules for overtime and additional work;
• Zuschläge — supplements for night work, Sundays, public holidays and other circumstances;
• Branchenzuschlag — possible industry-specific pay supplement;
• Probezeit — probationary period;
• Kündigungsfrist — notice period;
• Einsatzort — possible place of assignment;
• how periods without a client assignment are paid;
• how working hours are recorded and confirmed.

The AÜG also provides that the documentation of employment conditions must include information about the staffing agency, the authority responsible for its permit and the type and amount of payments due during periods when the employee is not assigned to a client.

In addition, before each assignment, the agency must inform the employee that they will be working as a Leiharbeitnehmer and provide the name and address of the client company in text form.

An employee who is not a German citizen may, upon request, receive the AÜG information leaflet and the relevant documentation on employment conditions in their native language.

10 Questions Worth Asking a Staffing Agency

1. “In welche Entgeltgruppe werde ich eingruppiert und warum?”
   Which pay grade will I be placed in, and why?
2. “Wie hoch ist mein Bruttostundenlohn?”
   What is my gross hourly wage?
3. “Gilt für meinen Einsatz ein Branchenzuschlag?”
   Does an industry-specific pay supplement apply to my assignment?
4. “Wie funktioniert mein Arbeitszeitkonto?”
   How does my working time account work?
5. “Wie werden Überstunden bezahlt oder verbucht?”
   How are overtime hours paid or recorded?
6. “Welche Zuschläge gelten für Nacht-, Sonn- und Feiertagsarbeit?”
   What supplements apply to night work, Sunday work and public holiday work?
7. “Wie werde ich bezahlt, wenn Sie vorübergehend keinen Einsatz für mich haben?”
   How will I be paid if the agency temporarily has no assignment for me?
8. “Welche Kündigungsfrist gilt während meiner Probezeit?”
   What notice period applies during my probationary period?
9. “Wie wird meine Arbeitszeit beim Kunden erfasst und bestätigt?”
   How are my working hours recorded and confirmed at the client company?
10. “Besteht eine realistische Chance auf Übernahme?”
    Is there a realistic chance of being hired directly by the client company?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit)

Zeitarbeit can be a useful starting point if you need to find your first job in Germany relatively quickly, gain work experience in Germany, improve your job-related German or get into a company where direct employment may later be possible.

Another advantage can be the opportunity to become familiar with different companies and working processes.

However, there is another side.

Your place of work may change. The pay system may initially seem complicated. You need to keep an eye on your working time account and the hours you actually work. You also need to understand which supplements you are entitled to and what happens during periods between client assignments.

Therefore, when considering a Zeitarbeit job, the most important question is not simply:

It is equally important to understand:

• What is my pay grade?
• How does my working time account work?
• Which supplements will I receive?
• What happens if the agency has no client assignment for me?
• How are my working hours recorded?
• What is my notice period?
• When does Equal Pay — equal pay for comparable work — begin?
• Is there a realistic chance of moving into direct employment with the client company?

Temporary Agency Work (Zeitarbeit) and the German Language

On your first day at work, nobody is likely to ask you to recite the legal definition of Arbeitnehmerüberlassung from memory.

But someone at work may ask:

At the end of your shift, someone may say:

And your payroll documents may contain terms such as:

EG 1, Arbeitszeitkonto, Mehrarbeit, Zuschlag, Branchenzuschlag.

This is exactly where German becomes a practical tool for everyday working life.

With DMS learning materials, you can learn job-related German, practise important vocabulary for warehouse and logistics work, understand workplace safety terminology and also prepare for the Staplerschein — forklift operator certificate exam.

The goal is not simply to memorise individual words.

The goal is to understand what your supervisor says at work, what is written in your employment contract and what you are being paid for on your payslip.