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Office buildings in Berlin: Even in East Germany, bosses often come from the West
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
Top civil servants from East Germany are still a rarity more than 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall – and in the private sector, too, one often looks in vain for socialized bosses in the East.
Even in the five East German federal states.
According to a new study, West Germans are still mostly in charge there – whether in companies, courts or universities.
The proportion of East Germans in top jobs has increased only slightly overall in the five East German states since 2016: from 23 to 26 percent.
In state cabinets, large companies and many media, things even went downhill.
East Germans hold 3.5 percent of “elite German positions” – for example in the federal government, DAX companies or federal courts.
The study "The long way up" in cooperation between the University of Leipzig and the MDR was published on the occasion of the East German Economic Forum.
In it, an East German is defined as someone who was socialized in the GDR or in the East after unification, i.e. who mostly lived there until adulthood.
Representation in top jobs is measured by the proportion of the population: in the five East German states, 87 percent of all residents are East Germans;
nationwide it is 17 percent.
The proportion of East German editors-in-chief is falling
According to the authors, the results are based on data collection that was carried out from October 2021 to April 2022.
It was compared with data from previous surveys using a similar methodology from 2004 and 2016.
The survey was created by the Hoferichter & Jacobs Film und Fernsehenproduktionsgesellschaft mbH in cooperation with the Institute for Communication and Media Studies at the University of Leipzig and the MDR.
According to this, 22 percent of all
judges at the highest courts
in East Germany are now East Germans compared to 13 percent in 2016.
In East German
universities
, 17 percent of
rectors or presidents
have an East German background, about the same number as in 2016.
In the
state cabinets
of the five states, the proportion of East Germans is much higher at 60 percent - but in 2016 it was still 70 percent.
In the
management of the 100 largest companies in the East
, the proportion of East Germans fell from 45 to 27 percent.
In 2016, 62 percent of the
chief editors of the major regional newspapers
were East Germans – today it is 43 percent.
On the other hand, the proportion has increased in the management of
publishing
houses : from 9 to 20 percent.
In
the management bodies of the public broadcasters
for the East - MDR, RBB and NDR - the proportion of East Germans grew from 27 to 31 percent, from three to four people.
The traffic light coalition has set itself the goal of bringing more East Germans into leadership positions.
A concept for this should be available in the course of the year.
Left-wing politician sees disregard for the Basic Law
The Leipzig MP Sören Pellmann does not want to wait for it - and is already pleading for a quota for the East.
The candidate for the federal presidency of his party said: "The results of the latest study are again devastating."
East Germans are "systematically disadvantaged" when it comes to leadership positions in politics and society, according to Pellmann.
The new federal government is also setting a bad example, since there are hardly any managerial staff in the federal ministries.
The Basic Law is being disregarded.
Article 36 of the constitution states: “The supreme federal authorities are to employ civil servants from all countries in appropriate proportions.
As a rule, the people employed by the other federal authorities should be taken out of the country in which they work.«