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Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil wants to extend the existing short-time work regulation until the end of 2021.
"Short-time work was and is our stable bridge over a deep economic valley," Heil told the "Rheinische Post".
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Labor Minister Heil: criticism from economists
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BeckerBredel / imago images / BeckerBredel
Unemployment is falling, which is good news.
"But in view of the fact that there are still economic disruptions in a number of industries, I think it makes sense to extend the existing regulations for short-time work until the end of the year as a precaution," the SPD politician continued.
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Similar to Heil, Federal Finance Minister and SPD candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on the weekend: Both the short-time work regulation and the economic aid for struggling companies should be extended until the end of the year, he told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Various economists criticized an extension of the measures: That would be "completely premature," said Lars Feld, the former head of economic affairs at the "Rheinische Post".
Currently, companies can register short-time work until September 30, subject to simplified conditions.
A proportion of ten percent of employees who are affected by the loss of work is sufficient instead of the normally required 30 percent.
Temporary workers can also receive short-time allowance.
mik / dpa
