Those who refuse to work can have their citizen's benefit completely canceled. However, according to a media report, the hurdles to this are high.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner described citizens' money as an “unconditional basic income” and called for tougher action. Sanctions for refusing to work are “rather rare” In 2023 there were almost 14,000 cases. “We are a sham debate here about a marginal phenomenon on the backs of the weakest,” says Helena Steinhaus from the Sanktionsfrei association. ‘The total sanctions are the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of millions of people on public benefit and in the low-wage sector,’ says Steinhaus. The Federal Employment Agency points out that the technical instructions are coordinated with the Federal Ministry of Labor and also the states. The employment agency is simply implementing the political will. There is no empirical evidence that sanctions help with integration into the labor market.