Employer of Record · Germany · Industry
Placing supply-chain, carrier, warehouse or customer-operations staff near German ports, hubs and logistics partners takes local employment expertise as much as industry knowledge. Once your company selects the role, city or site, and candidate, PIO confirms the exact available German employment arrangement and coordinates the agreed contract, payroll, statutory withholding, applicable social insurance, leave and offboarding.
Explore role-specific planning points for a Germany Logistics, Supply Chain & Cross-Border Commerce Hiring team in Germany.
Here's what typically matters most when hiring in Germany Logistics, Supply Chain & Cross-Border Commerce Hiring in Germany.
Decide which supply-chain, carrier, warehouse-coordination, key-account and customer-operations roles you need, and match them to the German ports, freight hubs or commercial hubs — such as Hamburg, Bremen, Duisburg or Frankfurt — where your carriers, warehouses and host customers operate.
Define where each person works — office, port, carrier terminal or warehouse — their shift or peak-season schedule, and who gives day-to-day instructions. A role integrated into your host customer's or a partner's organization under direct instruction may count as temporary agency work subject to Germany's AÜG rules, so the exact setup is confirmed before work starts.
Set base pay, shift or weekend premiums, travel and mileage allowances, and any peak-season or volume-linked components for each role and city, so payroll reflects how your logistics operation actually runs through the year.
Keep ownership of customs and importer/exporter-of-record duties, freight and carrier contracts, warehouse and site safety, product or industry rules, marketplace obligations, data handling and customer-account decisions — these stay with you and your commercial or logistics partners, not with the employment arrangement.
When you hire for your Germany Logistics, Supply Chain & Cross-Border Commerce Hiring team in Germany through PIO, the responsibilities split clearly.
Once your company shares the candidate, role and German city or site, plus compensation, workplace, reporting line and daily-instruction pattern, PIO confirms the available arrangement and coordinates the agreed contract and payroll steps. An authorized local hire differs from relocation, assignment or posting, so the applicable route is confirmed separately. Close integration at your host customer's factory, warehouse or project site, under that host customer's direct instructions, can trigger Germany's temporary-agency rules, so the exact setup is confirmed before the start date. Your company keeps customs and importer/exporter duties, freight and carrier contracts, product rules and marketplace obligations, and agrees on site safety and access with your host customer; PIO does not recruit or give legal or tax advice.
A practical starting point for the rules that shape a Germany hire. It is not legal advice, and your exact terms will depend on the role, sector and agreement.
Pay, hours and leave
Germany's general minimum wage is €13.90 gross per hour from 1 January 2026, rising to €14.60 from 1 January 2027; sector-specific rates can be higher. A working day is generally capped at 8 hours, extendable to 10 only under statutory averaging rules, and minimum leave is equivalent to 20 days for a regular five-day week.
Written terms and payroll
The essential terms of employment are documented and provided to the employee, and the exact salary due date is set in those terms for each hire rather than assumed. It is not the same single date across every role.
Notice and termination
The statutory baseline is four weeks' notice to the 15th or the end of a calendar month, and employer notice periods lengthen as service grows. An agreed probationary period of up to six months may carry a two-week notice, and termination must be in writing.
Work setup and authorization
Every hire starts by confirming the workplace, who directs the day-to-day work, the expected duration and the person's current German work authorization. A local EOR arrangement differs from relocating someone or extending a temporary assignment from China.
These are general reference points as of 2026 and can vary by sector, agreement and individual circumstances. Confirm the specifics for your hire before relying on them.
This practical guidance draws on the official sources below. Public requirements can change, so the details should be reconfirmed for each hire.
Here's what happens after you tell us who you want to hire.
Tell us the role, workplace, reporting line and target start date so we can confirm availability for this specific hire.
Once availability is confirmed, PIO coordinates the agreed employment terms, payroll setup and statutory registrations for the hire.
You direct the day-to-day work and outcomes; PIO coordinates ongoing payroll, statutory deductions, social-insurance administration, leave and offboarding.
It depends on site access, reporting lines and who gives day-to-day instructions. Deep integration into your host customer's site, under that host customer's direct day-to-day instructions, can trigger Germany's temporary-agency-work treatment, so the exact pattern is confirmed before the start date. Your company and your host customer agree on site safety and technical or business direction together.
PIO needs the roles, German cities or sites, selected candidates, current work authorization or the relevant relocation, assignment or posting route, workplace pattern, reporting and daily-instruction lines, compensation and the intended start date. With those details, PIO confirms the available employment arrangement and the next payroll and contract steps.
Share the details of your next Germany Logistics, Supply Chain & Cross-Border Commerce Hiring hire and we'll confirm availability, then coordinate the agreed employment and payroll administration around it.
