The DAG was founded in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt in April 1949 when the employees' associations in the three western zones of Germany joined.

The DAG established itself as a career-oriented employees' union independent of any political party.

It did not belong to the German Confederation of Trade Unions and was a leading independent political organisation which influenced the Bundestag and the Cabinet of Germany in the interests of its members.

In the decades that followed, the DAG had a lasting effect on the wage system for employees and influenced their qualifications.

Its functions were strictly divided into official and voluntary ones following a decision at the national congress in 1957.