Kretschmer rejects speculation about staff increases

Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) has rejected speculation about a significant increase in personnel in the state administration. "There will be no 6000 additional jobs," he said on Tuesday after a cabinet meeting in Schmilka (Saxon Switzerland). There is currently a budget preparation process in which all departments state their financial requirements and personnel expectations. It has also become clear from the budgets of the last three decades that only a fraction of the announced requirements can be realized in the end.

"We are in extremely difficult financial times. The economic situation in the Federal Republic of Germany has gone into a tailspin due to what I consider to be the wrong economic policy," said Kretschmer. On the one hand, there is zero growth, on the other hand, there are new performance laws amounting to 6.8 billion euros, which are not adequately financed and, above all, are pushing the districts under water: "This will limit the financial possibilities of the Free State for its own policy-making, at least in the short term."

In the talks on the next financial equalization law, the municipal level must be saved from financial ruin, explained Kretschmer. The only way to ensure that the policy changes and the performance laws are reduced to a reasonable level is through tough talks with the federal government. What is needed is for the minister presidents to join forces with the municipal family. "This is the only way we can build up enough pressure to achieve these changes."

The "Leipziger Volkszeitung" recently reported that the expenditure desired by the individual ministries for the 2025/2026 double budget exceeds the expected revenue by almost eleven billion euros. The finance minister is particularly concerned about the ministries' personnel plans. "If the wishes of the ministries are followed, the state workforce would increase by a total of 6160 jobs," it said. Finance Minister Hartmut Vorjohann (CDU) had already seen no more scope for new staff at the beginning of the year. He told the German Press Agency that there was no room for more than the current 96,000 jobs.

Kretschmer's predecessor Stanislaw Tillich (CDU) had wanted to reduce the number of state employees to a target of 70,000 by 2020. He wanted to align this with the level of western German states. The plans came to nothing and Tillich resigned in 2017. The ministries justify their higher staffing requirements with additional tasks.