German civil servants have better pension entitlement and will be cared for better than most employees, with most receiving double the number of their demographic counterparts, a study by the Ministry of Labour and Pension Insurance has found.

According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, which reported on the survey, officials such as politicians in western Germany aged between 55 and 59 have an average pension entitlement between €2120 and €2200, but the average employee receives between €730 and €1000.

The study also revealed that female officials in western Germany in their early to mid-40s have an entitlement of more than €1000 while male employees of the same age group are entitled to €1200.

In contrast, average female employers between 40 and 44 received entitlements of just €480 in 2016 and male received €520, both less than half of their official counterparts.

Handelsblatt reported that while the numbers for western Germany are significant, eastern Germany are even more drastic.

“The men interviewed with civil servant status aged 55 to 59 on average have a pension claim of €2500. Employees on the other hand only have an average pension entitlement of €952 a few years before their retirement.”

The newspaper pointed out that the number of successfully interviewed officials was too small to portray a representative picture.

The study also found that freelancing doctors, lawyers and engineers in independent occupational pension schemes are almost on par with the officials. The women in this group between 40 and 44 receive entitlements of €821 and €1500 between 55 and 59.

The gap between women and men in this group is however similar to the end of the 1950s, with men between 40 and 44 receiving a ‘modest’ €890, but men at the end of their 50s average on €2200 each month.

One reason for the gap between civil servants and employees is explained by the fact that civil servants on average have higher education which results in better pay and more stable employment history. In addition, civil servants cannot become unemployed.

Warning against the false envy of civil servants, politician for The Left, Matthias Birkwald told Handelsblatt: “In the current pension system, no pensioner would have received a single euro more in pensions if you lower civil service pensions.”

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