Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

I am curious how this will affect the public service,

Sooner or later, the classification review threatened years ago. The consequence: downgrades to lower salary groups, or where that is not possible, an increase in working hours to over 40 hours. This restricts the feasibility of a side job. Civil servants are, of course, not affected.

Sooner or later the reclassification review that was already threatened years ago. The consequence: downgrades to worse pay groups, or if that is not possible, an increase in working hours to over 40 hours. This limits the feasibility of the side job.
Civil servants are of course not affected.

Civil servants also receive increases in working hours. It has been the norm in Berlin for many years that civil servants have to work more hours per week than employees.
It is even easier for civil servants than for employees because they do not have a collective agreement or a union.
Downgrading is not so easy. But then there are simply no salary increases.

I also can no longer fool myself into believing that our prosperity and standard of living are not based on the poverty of other peoples. As much as I like to idealize things, am a do-gooder, and always want to believe in the good: how much prosperity is each individual ultimately willing to give up so that the general public (also seen globally) is better off?

I'm not sure if you are referring to the current situation, but unfortunately our losses in prosperity do not lead to an improvement for the global public. On the contrary, the poorest of the poor are currently suffering the most, while the number of those whose prosperity is growing is becoming smaller and smaller.

Regarding the order situation of the construction companies, on the one hand, I cannot imagine that they will all soon have nothing to do given the ambitious housing construction targets of the federal government. On the other hand, prices probably would not fall significantly even with a very sharp decline in demand. Although I do not know the average margins of the construction companies, they probably do not have much leeway in times of rising energy, material, and labor costs. So they simply cannot offer a house that costs 500k today again for 400k in a year without going bankrupt within a very short time.

One might build smaller but smarter. And with different materials and designs. The "broad majority" will probably no longer build 200 sqm city villas with glass elements all around, children’s bathrooms, extra extra rooms, etc. in the future. I estimate there will be more compact floor plans and fewer 20,000 euro kitchens in the classic single-family home.

I don't know the average margins of construction companies, but they probably don't have that much leeway in times of rising energy, material, and labor costs. So they can't just offer a house that costs 500k today for 400k in a year without going bankrupt in a very short time.

That will probably be tested on the market. The annual price increases of at least 10% and more before inflation (alongside all the nice subsidy funds) also worked.

And no work allergy and public service is also an excellent combo in a post :p

Hehe, yes, but as long as the heavy writers here from other areas are writing their mega long posts from their home office during the day, everything is fine ;)

Just demotion doesn’t work that easily.

It definitely doesn’t work for civil servants. Once you are promoted, then for life and pension.

It’s actually much easier for civil servants than for employees, because they have no collective agreement and no union.

They are just as unionized as employees. Tariffs can be changed very quickly. I have been through about 5 changes by now.

But then there are no salary increases.

They keep pace with the employees, it’s practically law—at least in my sector of the public service.
For the public service, the tariffs are the means and the tool. They are being eroded. If the employees come out with only a black eye, then that’s because of the work of the unions.