360,000 vacancies
Unions fear “staff collapse” in the public sector
8/8/2023 2:29 p.m
According to the civil servants’ association, around 360,000 positions in the public sector are already vacant. In addition, 1.3 million employees are expected to retire by 2030. In view of the personnel situation, several unions are alarmed.
Several public sector unions have sounded the alarm about the worsening labor shortages. “If politicians don’t take countermeasures, there is a risk of a collapse in staff,” said Daniel Merbitz, board member of the Education and Science Union (GEW), the Funke newspapers. The deputy chairman of the police union (GdP), Michael Mertens, warned: “There were no officials in all areas of the police force.” There has been a massive processing backlog in police investigative work for years. “No country is exempt from this, not even the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office.”
The head of the civil servants’ association dbb, Ulrich Silberbach, warned: “If we don’t finally make progress with digitization and reducing bureaucracy, the impending staff shortage will extend processing times, worsen care ratios and significantly weaken state efficiency overall.”
According to the civil servants’ association, around 360,000 positions in the public sector are currently vacant. Around 1.3 million public sector employees will retire by 2030.
Also worry about schools and day care centers
Referring to the education system, GEW board member Merbitz said it had been “significantly underfunded for decades – with dramatic consequences”. In all areas of education, especially in day care centers and schools, there is a huge shortage of skilled workers. “This often leads to a vicious circle of overloading due to a lack of skilled workers and lack of skilled workers due to overloading,” says Merbitz. “Many employees in education go into part-time work to escape the personal overload.”
In the case of the police, the shortage of staff is particularly evident in the area of traffic monitoring, GdP Vice Mertens told the Funke newspapers. It is no longer possible for the police officers to monitor compliance with the traffic rules across the board. “The result is a significantly reduced risk of discovery, which has a negative effect on compliance with traffic regulations and, above all, on accident statistics.”