Legacy of the Federal Post: Thousands of Civil Servants Remain at Deutsche Post and Telekom

In a notable remnant of the past, the successor companies of the former Federal Post still employ thousands of civil servants over three decades after their privatization. As of the beginning of this year, Deutsche Post reported approximately 18,000 civil servants within its workforce. The majority, over 90%, are situated in the Post & Parcel division, which includes postal carriers, package deliverers, sorters, and administrative staff.

While the company is publicly traded as Deutsche Post AG, it operates under the name DHL in its daily business. With more than 200,000 employees in Germany, the proportion of civil servants represents less than ten percent of the total workforce. This figure has been steadily declining; since 1995, no new civil servant appointments have been made at the postal service. In 2014, there were still over 45,000 civil servants, which dropped to just under 30,000 by 2019. The last group of employees who were appointed as civil servants in 1994 will retire in 2043, effectively marking the end of civil service roles at Deutsche Post.

At Deutsche Telekom, there were approximately 9,700 civil servants at the start of 2024, down from around 18,400 in 2020 and about 32,000 in 2015. The share of civil servants within Telekom's workforce in Germany stands at about 13%. The Postbank, which handles retail banking for Deutsche Post, also retains some civil servants, though the exact number has not been disclosed in recent years. In 2019, the Postbank reported around 3,400 full-time and 900 part-time civil servants, contributing 86 million euros to the civil servant pension fund at that time. Both Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Post similarly allocate funds to meet the pension obligations of their civil service staff.

Since the privatization of the Federal Post in 1995, which led to the establishment of Deutsche Post, Deutsche Telekom, and Postbank (now under Deutsche Bank), no further civil servant appointments have occurred within these firms. As the years progress, the legacy of civil service within these companies continues to diminish.