The termination of employment for operational reasons has long been a taboo in the public sector and has not been practiced for social and political reasons. However, this has changed since the reunification of Germany. Particularly in the new federal states, operational dismissals play an important role in social and health institutions as well as in higher education. The increasing significance of the topic is also reflected in the significantly rising number of court decisions regarding operational dismissals by public employers. This work outlines the current state of jurisprudence and applies the principles of operational dismissals to the specific issues of the public sector. It questions and evaluates the argumentative discrepancies often found between operational dismissals in the private sector and those in the public sector, while also presenting its own solutions.