The teaching profession across Europe is facing a significant recruitment and retention crisis, exemplified by England’s 2023/24 secondary school teacher recruitment figures, which reached only half their target. While teaching was ranked highly in job market surveys, the reality on the ground paints a different picture. A key factor contributing to this crisis is the declining trend in real-term teacher salaries across many European countries. This decline, coupled with other factors such as workload and professional development opportunities, makes the profession less attractive, leading to shortages and potentially impacting the quality of education.
Analysis of teacher salary data from the OECD reveals a stark reality: between 2015 and 2023, real-term salaries for lower secondary teachers decreased in almost half of the 22 countries and regions studied. Luxembourg witnessed the most dramatic decline at 11%, followed by Greece (9%), and Ireland, Finland, and Italy (6% each). England also experienced a 5% drop during this period. Conversely, a few countries saw significant increases, most notably Turkey with a 31% rise and Czechia with a 16% increase. These disparities highlight the varied approaches to teacher compensation across Europe and underscore the complex economic and political factors influencing these trends.
Extending the analysis to a longer timeframe, from 2013 to 2023, reveals similar patterns. Greece again experienced the largest decline (12%), followed by Luxembourg (10%). Hungary, while experiencing a 3% decrease between 2015 and 2023, saw a dramatic 45% increase overall from 2013 to 2023, largely due to a substantial one-time increase in 2014. This anomaly emphasizes the importance of considering longer-term trends when analyzing salary data. Turkey maintained its strong upward trajectory with a 37% increase during this decade.
Looking back even further, from 2005 to 2023, paints a particularly bleak picture for some countries. Greece witnessed a staggering 33% decline in real-term teacher salaries over this period, reflecting the country’s economic challenges. Portugal (-13%), Italy (-12%), and England (-12%) also experienced significant decreases. In contrast, Turkey continued its notable rise with a 59% increase, followed by Poland (28%), Germany (16%), and Norway (15%). These long-term trends underscore the cumulative impact of economic policies and priorities on teacher compensation.
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have exacerbated the downward trend in teacher salaries in many countries, including across the EU-25 average. England, for example, saw real-term salaries rise slightly during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 but then decline in 2022 and 2023. This suggests that the economic pressures and inflation following the pandemic have further eroded teachers’ purchasing power, adding to the challenges of attracting and retaining qualified educators. This decline in real income coincides with a significant increase in teachers expressing their intention to leave the profession, highlighting the connection between salary and job satisfaction.
The variation in teacher salaries across Europe is substantial. Data from the European Commission reveals a wide range in starting salaries, from €9,897 in Poland to €84,589 in Luxembourg in 2022/23. Germany’s starting salaries are nearly double those of France, further demonstrating the wide disparity within the EU. When adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPS), the differences narrow but remain significant, with starting salaries ranging from 11,826 PPS in Slovakia to 49,015 PPS in Luxembourg. These disparities reflect differences in cost of living, economic conditions, and national priorities regarding education spending. Experts emphasize that salary is just one factor influencing the attractiveness of the teaching profession. Other crucial elements include professional development opportunities, a supportive work environment, and the intellectual stimulation the career offers. Addressing the teacher shortage requires a multifaceted approach that considers these various factors. Ultimately, the future of education hinges on attracting and retaining qualified and motivated teachers, which requires competitive salaries, robust professional development, and a recognition of the vital role teachers play in society.
