Finance Minister Lindner is making cuts and is apparently planning drastic cuts for the long-term unemployed. State subsidies, such as the wage cost subsidy, should therefore be reduced. Criticism follows promptly.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) is apparently planning a drastic cut in benefits for the long-term unemployed. This is reported by Der Spiegel with reference to the draft budget for 2023. Specifically, for the coming year, “benefits for integration into work” in the basic security for jobseekers are to be reduced from currently a good 4.8 billion euros to 4.2 billion euros – a total decrease 609 million euros.
In particular, multi-year funding should be reduced accordingly. An example is the wage subsidy. In extreme cases, companies currently receive a five-year wage subsidy – 100 percent in the first two years, 90 percent in the third year, 80 percent in the fourth and still 70 percent in the fifth year. According to “Spiegel”, the social labor market is on the verge of the end with the cuts aimed at by Lindner.
Criticism followed promptly from the left and the CDU. The fact that Lindner is aiming for cuts would not have surprised her, says the socio-political spokeswoman for the left-wing faction, Jessica Tatti. “But if Hubertus Heil, if the SPD and the Greens take part, they will lose the last bit of socio-political credibility.”
And CDU social expert Kai Whittaker criticizes: Instead of creating hundreds of new jobs in its own apparatus, the government should let the money benefit the population.
