Berlin administration simplifies hiring process for people with disabilities

A man sits in a wheelchair at his desk workstation.

People with a recognized severe disability are to be able to find work for the Berlin administration more easily.

From now on, severely disabled people can be hired even if there is no corresponding position available, Finance Senator Stefan Evers (CDU) announced on Monday. In this case, the employment relationship is limited to up to two years. During this time, the new employees with disabilities get the possibility of finding an open position within the administration and of becoming acquainted with the various tasks and workflows. The goal is to create a permanent employment relationship, Evers said.

New regulation applies at state and district level

According to the senator, the new regulation applies for the Berlin administration both at the state and district level, as well as for so-called subordinate departments such as the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (Lageso). Until now, there always had to be a corresponding vacant position in order to hire a severely disabled person to work for the State of Berlin.

"The State of Berlin must remain an attractive employer for all people."

According to the Senate Department for Finance, the state has recently clearly exceeded the statutory minimum quota of five percent in the employment of severely disabled people. The rate of state employees with severe disabilities was at 7.17 percent in 2020 and at 7.02 percent in 2021; more recent data is not available. Comparing the employment rates of the past few years, there is a slight downward trend. Therefore, the state could not afford to let up in this area, Finance Senator Evers said. "The State of Berlin must remain an attractive employer in the future - for all people."

Measure also intended to counteract the shortage of skilled workers

Among other things, the measure was put in place to counteract the current shortage of skilled workers. The Senate expects almost 40,000 employees in Berlin's public sector to retire by 2031. Young talent is therefore urgently needed and lateral entrants are welcome. Apart from the new simplified hiring process, there are other ways to support severely disabled people in their entry into the administration.