Germany faces public sector crisis amid looming staff shortage
According to the Association of Cities and Municipalities, the shortage of personnel could threaten public administration with a "creeping blackout." By 2030, approximately 230,000 workers will be lacking, writes Deutsche Welle.
- The shortage of personnel will have a huge impact on the work of the public sector, particularly on municipalities, and could push services provided in the public interest to the brink of collapse - said Andre Berghegger, Director General of the German Association of Cities and Municipalities, as quoted by DW.
He added that in Germany today, more than 100,000 positions in municipal administration are unfilled. The reason? A lack of adequate personnel. - In the next ten years, nearly 500,000 of the approximately 1.65 million employees working in municipalities will retire - he emphasised. He calculated that this would result in a shortage of 230,000 workers by 2030.
It's not just about officials. Around 50,000 bus drivers are expected to retire in the next five years. According to Berghegger, there is already a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified childcare and nursery workers. "Without swift and decisive remedial measures, serious consequences for citizens and Germany as a business location are to be expected. Berghegger spoke of a creeping blackout," writes DW.
According to Berghegger, the solution includes flexible working time solutions and reorganising tasks to make employment in the public sector more attractive. Part of the solution is also seen in artificial intelligence, and he therefore criticised Germany's reservations concerning digitalisation. - If digitalisation continues to be implemented at a snail's pace in Germany, we will consciously squander our chances for the future - he warned.
