Senate Department of Finance advertises for staff

Posters of the advertising campaign to recruit new staff for Berlin tax offices are on display at the Tax Office for Corporations III in Berlin-Tempelhof.

Finance Senator Stefan Evers is convinced that Berlin must make more of an effort to recruit young talent for the capital's tax offices.

"We have noticed that the number of applicants has decreased significantly," the CDU politician told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Monday. "In this respect, the competition for the best minds has become much tougher. And this is not only about the question of hiring, but also about retaining staff."

Employees show their faces in campaign

A new campaign with commercials and posters, among other things, is intended to help promote Berlin's image by drawing attention to the advantages of working in the tax administration. "There are two special features here: One is that we show real places of work and real people from the Berlin tax administration," said Evers. "These are employees who show their faces out of conviction for what they do." He said there were more than 100 applications at the casting for the campaign. "The fact that there was so much interest shows, yes, that it is an exciting job," the Finance Senator said. "The other thing is that nothing would be possible in this city without this work being done - whether it's security, education or services of general interest," Evers said.

"You are Berlin's difference-makers"

The work in the tax administration is a task oriented towards the common good. "Yes, it is complicated, it is sometimes a bit dry. But it is one of the most important we have in the country," said the Finance Senator. "Without it, nothing works." That is one of the central messages of the campaign: "You are Berlin's difference-makers."

Shortage of skilled workers also affects Berlin administration

The shortage of skilled workers in Berlin's administration as a whole and also in the tax offices threatens to increase in the coming years. According to the tax authorities, the number of applications from high school graduates in 2022 has fallen by a quarter compared to the previous year. In detail, there are differences with regard to qualifications. "If we are competing for lawyers, then it is already a very fierce competition," said Evers. "But when it comes to other career groups, we also feel the decline. Overall, it's a more difficult situation than the one we knew before."