Federal Civil Service

It is the Federal Ministries — their headquarters as well as their subordinate institutions — which are responsible for carrying out the administrative tasks of the Federation (or Bund, as it is called in Austria). Only 8.7 % of Federal civil servants work in the Federal Ministries themselves, while 90.5 % work in their numerous subordinate institutions, such as schools, courts, tax offices and police stations.

Finally, 0.8 % of all Federal civil servants work for the Federal President's Office, the Parliamentary Administration, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Ombudsman Board and the Court of Audit, which are collectively known as the “supreme institutions” of the Republic.

In addition to these, more than 5,100 civil servants (FTE) still work for agencies and other institutions that no longer form part of the Federal Civil Service, e. g. Statistics Austria, the Austrian Federal Museums, the Public Employment Service, public universities and the Probation Service; another 9,100 or so work in the successor companies of the Austrian Post Office and Telegraph Administration.

Occupational groups in the Federal Civil Service

There are seven different occupational groups within the Federal Civil Service, including the five listed below, as well as nurses and school inspectors. While there are clear job profiles for most of these occupations, members of the administrative service can be involved in a wide range of different activities, which is why they are to be found in practically all parts of the Federal Civil Service. In addition to administrative officers, this group includes experts such as lawyers, engineers, economists, psychologists and business administration specialists, to name just a few.