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Employment agency in Charlottenstrasse in Kreuzberg
Photo: Jens Kalaene / dpa
Due to the corona pandemic, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) spent more money last year than ever before.
That emerges from a report by the authority.
With a total of 61 billion euros, the expenditure exceeded the high of 56.8 billion euros from 2003. High costs were incurred, especially for short-time working benefits and unemployment benefits.
During the lockdown in spring 2020, six million employees were temporarily on short-time work.
Over the year, the BA paid out 22.1 billion euros in short-time work benefits.
For comparison: in 2019 it was 157 million euros, during the financial crisis between 2008 and 2012 a total of 8.5 billion euros.
Also paid more unemployment benefits
The unemployment benefit was also paid significantly more in 2020: after 15 billion euros in 2019, it was 20.6 billion euros last year.
The authority also emphasized that despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic, spending on further training rose by 56 million euros to 1.5 billion euros in the past year.
Of this, around 543 million euros went to the qualification of employees.
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bah / AFP