Since the Hartz reforms, the impact on recipients of social services has been the focus of public and scientific interest. However, the changes in working conditions within the employment administration itself have largely gone unnoticed. This paper addresses this research gap and brings the employees of job centers into the personnel management spotlight. Dirk Salmon expands his theoretical framework by adapting the construct of Public Service Motivation, a research strand influenced by Anglo-American perspectives, to Germany. At the center of the work is a comprehensive employee survey with over 4,500 participants. Using quantitative research methods, the author sheds more light on the complex interplay of motivational orientation and fit with the organization.