German public sector employment up in 2024

By Bahattin Gonultas and Emir Yildirim

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s public sector employment rose 1.8% on an annual basis to 5.4 million people in 2024, according to preliminary results the country’s statistical office Destatis released Tuesday.

Public sector employment made up 12% of the total employment in the country.

Large increases were seen in schools, universities, and daycare centers, the office said.

General education and vocational schools accounted for the largest public service sector, with over 1 million workers.

The number of public workers in schools, including teachers, rose 19,500 or 1.9% in a year, reaching around 1.05 million.

Employment in municipal daycare centers climbed 4% to 289,900 people, the data showed.

Meanwhile, employment in universities, including university clinics, climbed 14,200 or 2.3% with a total of 636,100 workers.