IW study finds untapped labor capacity in Germany’s public sector

Germany’s public sector could theoretically gain work equivalent to 634,000 full-time employees if every part-time worker at the federal, state and municipal levels moved to full-time hours, according to calculations by the Institute of the German Economy, or IW.

The figure represents a theoretical upper limit, the institute said in comments cited by Bild about a study that has not yet been published. A less sweeping change would still produce a large increase. If states and municipalities reached only the average working-hours level recorded in Saxony-Anhalt, the state with the highest average in public service, the gain would amount to 294,000 full-time equivalents.

The greatest absolute reserves would be in Bavaria, with 129,800 full-time equivalents, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 115,100 and Baden-Württemberg with 111,300.

The study’s author, Björn Kauder, identified the largest potential in areas already facing substantial staffing shortages. Schools account for 153,000 full-time equivalents, followed by childcare centers with 54,400 and municipal administrations with 41,800. Universities have an estimated potential of 16,000, while police services have 10,800.

The calculations come as Germany’s public sector faces a reported shortage of 631,000 employees, according to the German Civil Servants’ Association. The study presents longer working hours among existing part-time staff as one possible way to address the gap.