Increased staff in Thuringia's public sector institutions - Increase in Employees within Thuringia's Public Sector
In a surprising turn of events, the Statistical Office of the Free State of Thuringia in Erfurt has reported a 1.1 percent increase in the public service workforce, amounting to an additional 1,130 employees. This growth, contrary to ongoing discussions about potential staff cuts, is primarily attributed to commitments to expand and improve public services, particularly in the judiciary and digital administration.
The increase in staffing levels can be attributed to several key factors. Firstly, the implementation of national and state-level initiatives, such as Germany’s "Pact for the Rule of Law," has led to the creation of thousands of new positions in both judicial and non-judicial public service roles by 2021. This pact aims to improve courts, prosecution, and digitization of judicial processes, thus requiring additional staff.
Secondly, ongoing digitalization efforts in public administration, such as the introduction of digital naturalization procedures in Thuringia’s districts and cities, have necessitated additional administrative personnel. While these modernization efforts are expected to result in eventual efficiency gains, they have temporarily increased workloads, necessitating staff growth to manage these changes.
Despite the population decline in Thuringia suggesting a theoretical need for staff cuts, practical and political priorities such as improving public services, judicial capacity, and digitization have driven an increase in staffing levels.
It is important to note that this growth has occurred within the state sector, not the public service sector as a whole. The number of employees in state authorities, ministries, town halls, district offices, and municipal authorities has increased by 690 to 65,170. In the municipal sector, the number of employees has risen by 415 to 40,475.
The state sector, in particular, has a higher proportion of civil servants, with 46.3 percent of all employees holding this status. This equates to 46,920 civil servants and officials working directly in the authorities, courts, and institutions of the state. In contrast, only 6.6 percent of all employees in the municipal sector are civil servants. The proportion of civil servants in the total number of employees in the public service remains almost constant at 31.5 percent.
The report was made in Erfurt, Thuringia, and despite talks of staff cuts in Thuringia's state administration for years due to the expected population decline, the current figures suggest a different narrative. The increase in staffing levels, while temporary, reflects investments in judicial expansion and digital administration modernization that outweigh the effects of demographic decline in the near term.
As Thuringia's population is expected to continue to decline in the coming years, it will be interesting to see how these trends evolve and whether the current growth in staffing levels will continue.
The following is added to the general news: Contrary to discussions about potential staff cuts, the Statistical Office of Thuringia's report reveals an increase in the state sector's workforce due to the implementation of policy-and-legislation initiatives like Germany's "Pact for the Rule of Law" and ongoing politics surrounding digitalization efforts in public administration, resulting in temporary staff growth.
Politics and policy-and-legislation have played significant roles in driving this growth, as Thuringia invests in improving public services, judicial capacity, and digitization, which has led to an increase in the civil servant population in the state sector despite ongoing discussions about staff cuts.
