career
East Germans rarely make it in top positions
The federal government wanted to promote East Germans in top positions. But they still make a less common career than their colleagues from the West – with one exception.
In Germany it is obviously easier to keep a career when you come from the West. Even 35 years after reunification, East Germans are comparatively rare in chief armchairs: their share of management positions grew from 2018 to 2024 from 10.9 to 12.1 percent, as East Representative Elisabeth Kaiser (SPD) announced. In business, however, the rate dropped from 5.1 to 4.0 percent, in culture from 9.3 to 6.8 percent.
According to the information, all of this is significantly below the proportion of East German in the population of around 20 percent. The exception is politics, such as representation in parliaments: the proportion of East German in 2024 was 21.4 percent, after 19.9 percent in 2018.
Elitemonitor reveals who makes a career
Kaiser referred to current figures from the so -called elite monitor at the Universities of Leipzig and Jena and the University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz. The study has been observing the development of around 3,000 top positions in twelve sectors for years. The federal government has decided to increase the proportion of East German in management positions.
Wherever she has direct influence – in the federal administration – this also progresses according to Kaiser’s information. The proportion of East German in management positions in the highest federal authorities rose from 13.9 percent in 2022 to 15.5 percent, said the SPD politician. In the upper federal authorities, the proportion increased from 11.9 to 12.6 percent.
Differences between free economy and authorities
“It shows very clearly: if you actively tackle the topic, also moves something,” said Kaiser. “The federal government is making a good example here.”
However, the progress in the federal administration refers primarily to the middle management level, which is slowly moving off from below. “At the top management level, the proportion of native East German has decreased from 6.8 to 3.7 percent, without Berlin even from 4.5 to 1.9 percent,” it says in explanations on the results.
Some of the figures were presented at an event in Leipzig in spring.
Dpa
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Source: Stern
