AfD considers timetable for staff cuts inadequate

The AfD considers the government's timetable for staff cuts at state level to be completely inadequate. "Within seven years, CDU Minister President Michael Kretschmer has inflated the administration by 10,000 jobs. The proposed reduction target of 15 years is a snail's pace that we cannot afford," explained AfD state party and parliamentary group leader Jörg Urban in Dresden.

Staff cuts to be completed by 2040

Finance Minister Christian Piwarz (CDU) named the year 2040 as the target date for staff reductions in an interview with the Chemnitz newspaper "Freie Presse" on Friday. In April, CDU parliamentary group leader Christian Hartmann assumed that up to 10,000 jobs would have to be cut in the coming years.

Retirements to help with job cuts

"I can't just stubbornly eliminate jobs, but must ensure that they are filled where necessary. Over the next few years, we will have a very high retirement rate in the administration. This gives us a certain amount of flexibility when it comes to job cuts. Nobody has to worry about losing their job," Piwarz said in the interview.

AfD points to responsible use of taxpayers' money

According to Urban, 3,000 jobs can easily be cut in the administration every year without layoffs due to the ageing workforce. "Schools, courts, public prosecutors' offices, the prison system, the police and even the financial administration are not affected by this, mind you." Continuing as before would be an irresponsible use of taxpayers' money. The administration needs to be modernized and streamlined using artificial intelligence.

The State Court of Auditors has also repeatedly criticized the high number of civil servants in Saxony. "The only way to control personnel expenditure is through the number of posts," said Court of Audit Director Isolde Haag as recently as the summer. The number of civil servants in the state currently stands at around 96,000, a long way from the previous target of 70,000 jobs. At around six billion euros, personnel expenditure already accounted for almost a quarter of the state budget in 2024.