Berlin: Number of civil servants in state service rises to just under 49.9 percent

Background of the statistics

The share of civil servants employed is an indicator of the structure of public administration. Berlin traditionally employs a comparatively high proportion of tariff-employed staff, as many tasks of the growing city are organized through regular employment contracts. The figure of 49.9 percent now reported shows that the share of civil servants has continued to increase in recent years.

The personnel statistics of the state of Berlin are compiled annually and contain data on employee numbers, status groups, and distributions within the administration. They serve, among other things, as a basis for political and budgetary decisions on the capital's personnel requirements.

Civil servants and their financial implications

Observers point out that a growing number of civil servants has long-term financial implications for the state budget. Civil servants receive pensions in retirement that must be financed from current service without later contributions, while employees pay into the statutory pension insurance.

As a growing city, Berlin simultaneously faces the task of attracting additional personnel for new tasks in areas such as education, security, and administration. The statistics provide the basis on which senate departments and districts can plan their staffing needs.

Survey and evaluation

The data is collected by the state of Berlin on the basis of reports from the individual offices and then evaluated centrally. Comparable statistics are also published by other federal states and by the federal government.

The next update of the personnel statistics is expected to take place next year. Until then, the January figures now presented serve as the reference for the discussion on the staffing of Berlin's administration.

With the figure now presented of a 49.9 percent share of civil servants, the trend observed in recent years of slightly increasing civil servant ratios in Berlin is continuing. The exact changes compared to the previous year will be broken down in detail in the following official publications.