Civil service positions in Post and Telecommunications sectors remain staffed by thousands of employees. - Thousands of civil servants remain employed in the postal and telecommunications sectors.
Hey there! Today, we're diving into a little corner of history where the privatization of Federal Post and Telekom hasn't quite erased all traces of its legacy—we're talking thousands of civil servants still on the payroll!
Just a few months back, German Post (formerly known as the Federal Post) reported approximately 18,000 civil servants, mainly letter carriers, parcel deliverers, sorters, and administrative staff. That's a staggering number considering it's been almost 30 years since they were privatized!
Fun fact: Although German Post lists as Deutsche Post AG on the stock exchange, they've rebranded their daily operations as DHL. It's this globally active corporation that employs over 200,000 individuals in Germany, with fewer than ten percent of them being civil servants.
As for the proportion of civil servants, it's been dwindling year by year. You won't find any new civil servants joining the Post since 1995. The number has shrunk significantly, from 45,000 in 2014 to about 30,000 by the end of 2019. But those who started out as civil servants in 1994 and stayed on the job until 2043 are the last of a dying breed!
When it comes to Deutsche Telekom, it's been reported to still have around 9,700 civil servants as of 2024/25, all full-time positions. This number was closer to 18,400 at the end of 2020 and around 32,000 at the end of 2015. So, in total, the proportion of civil servants among Telekom employees in Germany was approximately 13 percent, according to the information provided.
And yes, the Postbank, which handles branch activities for the Post in Postbank Financial Centers, still has civil servants on payroll, even though they haven't disclosed the exact number for a few years now. In 2019, there were around 4,300 full-time and 900 part-time civil servants on the payroll. Remember, Postbank paid around 86 million euros into the civil service pension fund back in 2019.
Remembers the good old days of the Federal Post? They were privatized in 1995, leading to the creation of German Post, Deutsche Telekom, and Postbank. Since then, no new civil servants have been hired; the Postbank now belongs to Deutsche Bank.
As for Deutsche Telekom, they have been reducing their workforce consistently, transitioning away from traditional civil servant employment, a shift reflecting their adaption to competitive market conditions. Global workforce size currently stands at approximately 198,678 employees as of Q1 2025, with around 74,013 in Germany[2].
In light of the ongoing reduction in civil servant employment, it would be beneficial to explore potential opportunities for vocational training within Deutsche Post AG (German Post) and Deutsche Telekom to bridge the gap and prepare their workforce for evolving industry needs in finance and business. Additionally, the establishment of community policies could ensure a smoother transition for the remaining civil servants, providing necessary support as they adapt to new vocational roles.
