Summary

The Canton of Basel-Stadt is systematically digitizing its personnel files. To date, approximately two-thirds of employee files still exist in physical form – around 750 alone in the Finance Department. Electronic annual appraisals are to be introduced in all departments by the end of 2026; the long-term goal is a fully digital personnel file without paper storage.

People

Topics

  • Digital Transformation
  • Public Administration
  • Data Security & Compliance

Clarus Lead

The Basel administration has identified a structural digitalization deficit: While application procedures already run electronically, annual appraisals with employees are still documented on paper and stored in fireproof cabinets. The Canton of Basel-Stadt plans to introduce electronic annual appraisals in all departments this year – a step that brings significant organizational and legal challenges, as individual departments work with different IT systems.

Detailed Summary

The Finance Department documents that approximately 750 physical personnel files still remain stored in locked, fireproof cabinets. These are controlled for access via a batch system. Space requirements are minimal – approximately one and a half cabinets – yet administrative efficiency is significantly impaired. Spokesperson David Weber confirms that annual appraisals were documented "classically" on paper through 2025 and then archived.

Samir Stroh, the Canton's HR manager, acknowledges that Basel-Stadt is not considered a pioneer in digitalization. The central obstacle is the fragmented IT infrastructure: individual departments use different, sometimes outdated systems. Harmonization requires time and coordinated migration. Currently, approximately two-thirds of all files remain physical, one-third already electronic.

Employee training in the Finance Department has been completed; the digital annual appraisal is already running. The critical question remains the archiving of existing paper files: The canton must clarify data protection and records retention legal frameworks before old documents are destroyed. The goal is ambitious but realistic: By the end of 2026, all departments should be working digitally; in the medium term, there should be no more physical personnel files.

Key Statements

  • Status 2026: Two-thirds of cantonal personnel files still in paper form; one-third already digitalized
  • Digital Annual Appraisals: This function will be introduced in all departments in 2026; training is already underway
  • IT Fragmentation: Different departmental systems delay comprehensive harmonization and data integration
  • Legal Review: Data protection and archival law must be clarified before old files can be deleted

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence: Which IT systems do individual departments specifically use, and how long is a technical harmonization realistically expected to take?

  2. Data Quality: How does the canton ensure consistency when transitioning from paper to digital – risk of data loss or incorrect digitalization?

  3. Conflicts of Interest: Why have departments been working with incompatible systems for years? Are there budget or priority conflicts between IT investments?

  4. Causality: Is slow digitalization the cause or symptom of poor governance? Is there a lack of central IT strategy?

  5. Data Protection: How is it ensured that electronic personnel files are protected as well as fireproof cabinets – encryption, backup, access control?

  6. Post-Use: What happens to paper originals after digitalization – destruction after X years or legal retention obligation?

  7. Causality/Risk: Is there a risk that the introduction of digital annual appraisals creates data protection issues if the IT infrastructure is not yet fully harmonized?

Source Directory

Primary Source: Regionaljournal Basel-Baselland – SRF Audio (09.02.2026)

Verification Status: ✓ 09.02.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 09.02.2026