German Bureaucracy Surge: 7,000 New Civil Service Positions Since 2013

The rapid growth in government staffing has led to increased costs and calls for reform amid rising bureaucratic burdens.

Since 2013, the number of civil service positions in German federal ministries has increased by nearly 50%, adding approximately 7,000 new roles.
These additional positions have primarily been created in higher salary brackets, contributing to a significant rise in personnel costs.
The expansion of the civil service has been linked to an increase in regulations, further burdening businesses with bureaucratic requirements.
Financial expert Bernd Raffelhüschen estimates that this growth will cost an additional €6.3 billion by 2030 and €11.6 billion by 2040, excluding pension liabilities.
Calls for a hiring freeze and structural reforms are growing, with suggestions to leverage digitalization and natural staff attrition to manage costs.