DHL, one of the world’s leading logistics companies, recently partnered with the WageIndicator Foundation to verify minimum wage compliance across its global operations. Leveraging our unique GPS-linked Minimum Wage database, DHL was able to centrally assess wage compliance even in some of the most remote regions of the world. With this global baseline now established, the company is exploring its next steps in strengthening fair wage practices.
We spoke to Martin Weltring, Senior Expert for Compensation Design at DHL Group, to learn more.
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| Martin Weltring |
Could you briefly summarize DHL’s key services and global presence — including how many countries it operates in?
We like to say that DHL is the most international company in the world — and with operations in nearly every country, that assertion is likely true. DHL’s services are organized into five core divisions:
- Post & Parcel Germany – Europe’s largest postal company, core business is domestic transport, sorting and delivery of documents and goods.
- Supply Chain – Tailor-made logistics services and supply chain solutions including warehouse operations and transport as well as value-added services.
- Express – International Transport of urgent documents and goods reliably and on time from door to door.
- Global Forwarding – World leader in air freight services and one of the leading providers of ocean freight services offering transport of all kinds of shipments by air or sea
- E-Commerce – Domestic last-mile parcel delivery in selected countries in Europe, in Asian emerging markets, in the United States and in India and non-TDI cross-border services primarily to, from and within Europe, as well as to, from and within the United States
What triggered DHL’s interest in Living Wages?
There were two main triggers. First, the introduction of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires companies to report on whether they pay adequate wages. Second, we began receiving more inquiries from customers in the same regard.
Why partner with WageIndicator?
When we explored the market, we reviewed more than ten providers. WageIndicator convinced us for three key reasons:
- Global reach – WageIndicator offers data from over 160 countries, which is essential for us as a global company.
- Transparency – WageIndicator openly shares its methodology on living wages, which makes it easy to understand and communicate internally.
- Proactive Service-Orientation – WageIndicator team is highly motivated and customer oriented. They for example did an outstanding job when mapping DHL locations to minimum wage legislations.
When we began our collaboration, we realized that WageIndicator could deliver a GPS-coded Minimum Wage database. This meant that all ~25,000 global DHL locations could be matched with the appropriate Minimum Wage rate via GPS coordinates.
WageIndicator’s Minimum Wage database contains over 25,000 rates across 208 countries. These rates vary by country and, in some cases, by region, city, or even parts of a city. They can also differ based on sector or specific occupations.
To ensure accuracy across such a large and globally dispersed organization, the GPS-coded database proved invaluable.
The result: Our global database is now proof that DHL is Minimum Wage compliant everywhere across the world — a fundamental requirement for any reporting, but especially significant under the CSRD.
So is Living Wages the next step for DHL?
First of all, we are very proud that all DHL employees are paid above minimum wage. For a global company with such a large workforce, this should not be taken for granted. It is outcome of hard work of our global HR colleagues who offer fair and compliant salaries, and our Human Rights / Social Sustainability Team regularly checking salaries meet local legislation, especially in areas of high risk.
When it comes to living wages, we see a lot of on-going discussion and development both in terms of definition as well as adoption. For now, it is crucial for us to monitor these developments with our customers, with the social partners, local authorities, and other potential stakeholders. In the meantime, with the help of the data from WageIndicator, we have built a global living wage radar for our HR experts which flags potential gaps and helps take corrective action where needed.
April 2025