The introduction of citizen’s income in 2023 upsets many citizens. There is talk of false incentives and a devastating signal in times of a shortage of skilled workers. A job center employee reported to FOCUS online. She says: Actually, it’s even worse.
Martha Berger did an apprenticeship at the employment agency when the agency was still an office. On the phone she sounds dejected and says she no longer understands the world. The employee of a job center in a large German city fears professional disadvantages, which is why she does not want to read her real name here and wants to remain anonymous.
“Personally, I am against the introduction of citizen’s income,” she clarifies right at the beginning of the long conversation. In view of increasing benefits, housing and heating cost assumption plus extras for future recipients of citizen income, it is becoming less and less worthwhile for the normal earner to get up every morning and go to work. “You are not in a worse position with the citizen’s income, even if the minimum wage is now twelve euros.”
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The citizens’ benefit was decided by the traffic light government on September 14th and, after stations in the Bundestag and Bundesrat, is to replace unemployment benefit 2, i.e. Hartz IV, on January 1st, 2023. Single beneficiaries should then receive 53 euros more. That’s 502 euros a month. In addition, the protective assets are to be increased, rental and heating costs are to be taken over and the sanction options are to be reorganized.
For the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the basic income means “more security, more respect and more freedom for a self-determined life”. For Martha Berger, it is above all unfair: “As working people, we try to turn over every penny and ask ourselves whether we can enable our children to go on the next class trip.” “This can not be!”
She also emphasizes that there has not yet been any internal information on citizen income in her job center. It is she and her colleagues who are responsible for the changeover at the turn of the year and who have to process new applications. “I assume that half of the residents of our city will submit an application for benefits in January,” says Berger.
A major reason is the high energy prices, because of which so many more fall into unemployment benefit 2 or then into basic income, i.e. are entitled to it many, predicts Berger. “We cannot cope with this onslaught in terms of personnel in the job center.” In addition, there has not yet been any training on citizen income.
A spokesman for the Federal Employment Agency (BA) responded to the request from FOCUS online with a request for an opinion that there were no training courses for that reason alone, because the exact content had not yet been determined. “At the moment we don’t have a final law,” he clarifies, referring to possible changes in the forthcoming parliamentary process.
“Nevertheless, we are preparing intensively for the citizen’s allowance in the federal agency and the job centers in joint facilities,” said the BA spokesman. After all, the planned reform will affect all areas in the job centers, from job placement to the granting of benefits. “And the employees are also involved in the process, via the specialist channels and on the intranet.”
Martha Berger would like to be taken along, but the reality is different: “We were never asked for our assessment – and we are the closest to it. I find that sad. I have so many suggestions as to how things could go better.” But nobody cares.
The BA also states that the specified schedule is a major challenge and cannot be fully implemented, for example if IT lead times are necessary. “What is important to us on January 1st, and we can also implement it, is the standard rate increase and the new rules on wealth and housing.”
The BA welcomes the standard rate increase and will ensure that people get their money reliably on January 1st. People don’t have to submit a new application either, because everything continues automatically. “But the start on January 1 also means that the colleagues in the job centers have to cope with a great deal of additional work.” for private households.
“We’re really working hard internally,” Berger makes clear. “If several colleagues were suddenly absent, the whole system would collapse.” Apart from that: “Who is going to pay for all this?” asks Berger. She already sees the German social system at the limit of resilience. Even more so with the introduction of citizen income.
The job center employee does the math: “With a minimum wage of twelve euros per hour, you get 1,400 euros net per month for a full-time job. If you deduct the rent and heating, there isn’t much left over.” A mini-job plus an increase was more profitable.
“Some of my customers still want to work, but can’t find anything,” she clarifies. But: “I would say that that is at most one in ten. Everyone else who could work prefers to receive basic security.”
Sanctions therefore need to be feared as well as nobody. There are still some who fail to report, but only very few in total. Berger calls it a “joke”. “Anyone who doesn’t show up at the employment agency gets a letter, but no more than that.” The second time they don’t show up, there’s a ten percent deduction for three months. “85 to 90 percent of my customers could work immediately if they wanted to. But they don’t. Why should I?
Berger criticizes that the state does not require people to go to work and admits that there are of course really sick and frail people who, of course, cannot work. “You like to support them.” But that is the absolute minority. “The fact that not working is actually worth it is absolutely the wrong way.” That shouldn’t be the case.
“Work is always worth it,” emphasizes the BA spokesman to FOCUS online. After all, work has a social function and enables social participation. The law also contains incentives to take up work. “For example, those entitled to benefits have a higher income overall due to the higher income allowances: That is a very clear motivation.”
And further: “Our actions were not and are not geared towards reductions. Over 97 percent of those entitled to benefits have not come into contact with it. The basis for our cooperation and thus our support of people is that we can meet and tackle the future together. It is therefore right that the reduction obligations remain. Obligations to cooperate should also remain with the planned citizens’ income, after the period of trust has expired. We welcome that.”
The trust period should be six months. During this period, trust and cooperation at eye level will be particularly important, according to the federal government. “Only repeated failure to report will be sanctioned – with a maximum of ten percent reduction in performance.” After that, with a maximum of 30 percent. Accommodation and heating costs are not reduced.
In view of the “completely wrong incentives provided by the state”, Martha Berger can understand why many people are now asking themselves whether they would not be better off with citizen income than with a full-time job. “I’m also starting to ask myself: Why not throw everything away?”
With the introduction of citizen money, people who receive money are no longer so strictly controlled. Trust should replace distrust, says the traffic light government. But is that justified? Experts advise against. A look at previous practice shows this.
