Baden-Württemberg to restructure civil service to cut costs

The state of Baden-Württemberg is planning a restructuring of its civil service sector to address rising costs. The state government, a coalition of the CDU and the Green Party, aims to reduce or save positions in the central state administration by approximately five percent by 2031. This move follows reports that over 19.9 billion euros—roughly thirty percent of the state budget—were allocated to civil servants last year.

Civil servant status in Germany offers significant benefits, including job security, predictable salary increases, and pensions that typically exceed statutory retirement benefits. However, these privileges come with obligations such as a ban on strikes and a duty of loyalty to the state. While approximately 1.81 million people hold civil servant or judicial status in the German public service as of June 2025, the demographic is shifting, with women making up 61 percent of the workforce.

The proposed cuts have met resistance from representatives of the civil servants' union, who warn that reducing staff may not lead to immediate savings and could jeopardize the quality and reliability of state services, including administration, schools, and policing.