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People at GIZ

Stability and change – that also applies to the development of our workforce. Our staff work with commissioning parties and partners on a lasting basis to improve the lives of people in around 120 countries. They are flexible and forward-looking, even in the face of extraordinary challenges.


In figures:

As at 31 December 2020, GIZ had 23,614 staff in Germany and abroad (2019: 22,199). Added to this number are 483 seconded development workers and 728 integrated or returning experts, who are counted separately because they have a different type of contract. Most of our workforce – around 80 per cent – is based abroad. In a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic dominated the whole world, the demand for our international services has continued to grow and our attractiveness as an employer has not suffered – on the contrary.

Diagram with figures for 2020 and 2019: a. In 2020 GIZ had 23,614 staff; in 2019 the figure was 22,199. b. In 2020 GIZ had 15,988 national staff; in 2019 the figure was 15,120. National staff are employees with an employment contract under national employment law. They perform a wide variety of duties, including management roles. c. In 2020 GIZ had 5,007 Germany-based staff; in 2019 the figure was 4,543. Germany-based staff are employees with Head Office functions at locations in Germany and staff working on projects and programmes at locations in Germany. d. In 2020 GIZ had 2,619 seconded experts; in 2019 the figure was 2,536. Seconded experts are staff with a German employment contract who are working as field staff members in GIZ’s countries of assignment. e. In 2020 GIZ had 2,641 Germany-based staff with Head Office functions; in 2019 the figure was 2,401. f. In 2020, GIZ had 2,366 project and programme staff based in Germany; in 2019 the figure was 2,142. g. In 2020, GIZ had 483 development workers; in 2019 the figure was 556. The German Development Workers Act (EhfG) provides the legal basis for GIZ’s Development Service to assign experts as development workers or as Civil Peace Service experts around the globe each year. h. In 2020 there were 728 integrated and returning experts; in 2019 the figure was 777. Integrated experts are experts and managers from Europe who are placed and supported by the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM). They put their skills to use in key positions in developing countries and emerging economies. Returning experts are managers and young professionals who have acquired professional qualifications in Germany. CIM helps them to find a suitable position in their country of origin.

Women in the workforce
Percentage

Percentage of women in the workforce1
20202019
59.2 %58.8 %
WORKFORCE AS A WHOLE
GermanyAbroadTotal1National staffTotal2
2019202020192020201920202019202020192020
65.565.646.946.958.859.243.544.548.849.2
 
MANAGEMENT BOARDMANAGERIAL POSITIONS1  
 GermanyAbroadTotal  
20192020201920202019202020192020  
33.366.747.849.839.339.742.243.1  

1 Including German employment contracts, not including national staff
2 Including national staff, seconded staff, Germany-based staff and project staff

Staff members in the regions
Number

 Seconded
experts		National
staff		Development
workers3		Integrated
experts4		Returning
experts4
 2019202020192020201920202019202020192020
Sub-Saharan
Africa		1,0951,1296,5416,9953032707060185188
Asia/Pacific3883942,3132,4841251105153175173
Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia3923543,1583,110121078536553
Latin America1881831,2041,318665146336675
Mediterranean Region and
Middle East		4154961,8562,023504217132427
Industrialised countries
(Europe, USA)		58634858000000
Total2,5362,61915,12015,988556483262212515516

3 113 of the 483 development workers were deployed as Civil Peace Service experts.
4 Integrated experts are placed with employers in cooperation countries by the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM), which is run jointly by GIZ and the German Federal Employment Agency. The local employers pay them a salary at the going rate in the area, to which CIM adds a salary subsidy. Returning experts also receive a salary subsidy from CIM, as well as advisory and other support services.

Breakdown by age (years)

As at: 31 December 2020 (2019)
Percentage

Germany-based staff and seconded experts
Age20202019
61 or older7.9 %8.0 %
51-6020.0 %20.9 %
41-5022.5 %22.2 %
31-4033.2 %32.7 %
younger than 3116.4 %16.1 %
National staff
Age20202019
61 or older1.9 %1.8 %
51-6012.6 %12.4 %
41-5027.2 %26.8 %
31-4040.6 %40.8 %
younger than 3117.7 %18.1 %

Nationalities of our staff

Distribution20202019
across the entire workforce156153
among Germany-based staff and seconded experts114113
among national staff136127

Learn more about diversity at GIZ at

Information on the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be found on this page:

Graphic: GIZ: SDG 5 Gender equality
Graphic: GIZ: SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth
Graphic: GIZ: SDG 10 Reduced inequalities

Information on the following sustainability standards can be found on this page:
GRI standard 102-7, 102-08, 102-41, 405; UNGC 6; The Code 14, 15, 16