Significant Differences in Number of Employees per Legislator - German parliament staffing reveals stark party divides under equal budgets
Some Lawmakers Employ Far More Staff Than Others—AfD Member Leads with 15 Employees. How Do Such Disparities Arise?
On average, each member of the state parliament employs 5.17 staff. But one AfD lawmaker has 15—far above the norm. These figures emerge from statistics provided by the state parliament administration, obtained by the German Press Agency (dpa). The Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) had previously reported on the matter.
According to the data, CDU lawmakers employ an average of 5.18 staff each, while SPD members have 5.66, FDP representatives 4.67, and the Greens 3.56. The AfD stands out with an average of 8.5 employees per lawmaker.
The parliament administration did not disclose which AfD member employs 15 people, and the party's faction declined to comment: "We ask for your understanding that we do not, as a matter of principle, discuss personnel matters and cannot speak on behalf of individual lawmakers' offices."
In the CDU, one state parliamentarian employs ten staff, according to the administration. The highest figures for the SPD and Greens are nine employees each, while one FDP lawmaker has eight.
Lawmakers Have Full Discretion Over Staffing
The numbers reflect headcounts only—not whether employees work full-time. Since lawmakers can pay wages ranging "from the minimum wage to standard industry rates," as the parliament states, the data does not allow for calculations of actual working hours.
Currently, each lawmaker receives a maximum staffing allowance of €10,208 per month. How they distribute this funding is up to them, though strict upper limits apply.
Parliamentary factions take no role in their members' staffing decisions. An SPD faction spokesperson noted that "clear and far-reaching legal regulations, as well as implementation rules set by the Council of Elders, already exist," making additional internal guidelines unnecessary.
Hiring of 85-Year-Old Sparks Controversy
Recent debate has centered on AfD lawmaker Klaus Esser's employment of an 85-year-old woman on a mini-job contract. After Der Spiegel raised questions about potential sham employment, state parliament president André Kuper (CDU) temporarily suspended Esser's reimbursement for the employee.
Esser rejects the allegations, insisting the senior citizen is "mentally very sharp" and prepares parliamentary inquiries and motions from her home office. "Society and parliament talk a lot about inclusion for older people—yet when you put it into practice, suddenly it's wrong," he said.
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