Admin Shake-up: Growing Pressure on Govt as Top-Tier Staff Booms - CDU Demands Drastic Downsizing
Intensifying High-Rank Officials - Public Pressure Mounts on Government - Escalating High-Ranking Personnel Appointments Amplify Political Pressure on the Government
On the heels of scrutiny from the State Audit Office regarding the escalating number of staff in the State Chancellery and ministries, led by Manuela Schwesig (SPD), the heat is on. The opposition CDU is calling for a drastic streamlining. "To prevent our economy from shedding an escalating share of skilled professionals, at least 20% of core administration roles must be slashed by 2035," demanded Daniel Peters, CDU's parliamentary group leader in the state parliament.
Political steering, strategy, legislation, and oversight roles have been abundant in the State Chancellery and ministries – leading to more advertisements, gloss, and social media presence, at the expense of actual administrative work.
The German Civil Servants' Association in MV has joined the chorus of criticism, echoing the State Audit Office and the CDU. "The leadership positions are continually multiplying, while we lack qualified staff in crucial areas such as police, financial administration, and education," explained Dietmar Knecht, state chairman of the civil servants' union.
If resources continue to be diverted from productive staff, it's no wonder public trust in the civil service is dwindling. "Today, surveys indicate that around 70% of the population no longer trust the state's ability to act - this is detrimental for our democracy," asserted Knecht.
In addition to staffing concerns, the German Civil Servants' Association criticized the proliferation of "special service contracts." According to Knecht, these contracts have surged in the state government, bypassing traditional career paths and fostering inequality and disheartening career advancement aspirants.
The State Audit Office found a 22% increase in positions in the State Chancellery and eight ministries (the highest state authorities) over the past ten years. Just one level below, in upper and lower state authorities, staffing increased by 10.8%. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's population has waned in the same period.
Peters accuses the red-red state government of lacking a viable plan to adjust administration staff numbers to demographic shifts. "Instead, staffing has continued to soar, with the State Chancellery and ministries essentially doubling their position count compared to the overall state administration."
However, Peters argues that reducing staff is currently feasible. "With a full-scale digital push, such reductions are easily achievable given the numerous retirement-related personnel decreases," he declared confidently. He announced an extensive proposal from his faction for the next state parliament session. All potential efficiencies must be capitalized – through deregulation, digitalization, AI, automation, and robotics.
- CDU
- Social Media
- Daniel Peters
- State Chancellery
- German Civil Servants' Association
- Police
- Schwerin
- Manuela Schwesig
- SPD
- CDU/CSU
- German Civil Servants' Association
- Education
It's plausible that the surge in staff size stems from expanded administrative needs, new economic development projects, or shifts in political priorities. Overstaffing might lead to increased operational costs, potential budget constraints, and bureaucratic bottlenecks. The CDU's demand for staff reduction likely reflects budgetary concerns, efficiency goals, or policy shifts, mirroring trends in political discourse. Reducing staff through streamlining, reallocating resources, or tech investments could be viable solutions.
- The CDU's parliamentary group leader, Daniel Peters, has proposed a drastic reduction in core administration roles by 2035, as the German Civil Servants' Association and the State Audit Office also call for streamlining due to the excessive number of leadership positions in the State Chancellery and ministries.
- The CDU, led by Daniel Peters, argues that reducing staff is feasible with a full-scale digital push, using potential efficiencies such as deregulation, digitalization, AI, automation, and robotics, reflecting a broader trend in political discourse towards budgetary concerns, efficiency goals, and policy shifts.
