2.33 million people without work: Germany's good way through the pandemic is costing the federal government billions

There are currently around 2.33 million people in Germany without a job.

According to Hubertus Heil, the big quake in the job market could be averted for the time being.

At what price?

Nuremberg - The corona pandemic * hit many countries hard.

In Germany, however, you got off relatively lightly, at least when it came to the labor market.

The numbers speak for themselves: around 2.33 million people are currently registered as unemployed in Germany.

The number is just above the absolute low since reunification in November 2019 with 2.18 million unemployed.

The Federal Minister of Labor of the SPD *, Hubertus Heil, is optimistic.

The job market has been shaken by the corona pandemic so far, "but we were able to avert a great quake."  

Nuremberg: 51 billion euros go to Nuremberg 

Because the state and the Federal Employment Agency have prevented mass unemployment by, among other things, expanding short-time working.

However, that ate up the reserves that were packed on the high edge for a possible further financial crisis - after all, 26 billion euros - almost in an instant, writes

.

And because the money was gone so quickly, the federal government - and with it the taxpayers - had to step in.

Another 24 billion flowed to Nuremberg.

The amount should increase by another billion by the end of 2022.

The corona pandemic, related to the labor market alone, cost the state around 51 billion euros.

(By the way: our Nuremberg newsletter regularly informs you about all the important stories from the Franconian metropolis. Register here.)

Detlef Scheele, head of the Federal Employment Agency, has sporting goals, as he tells

: "Unemployment insurance should go debt-free into the year 2023." But whether the budget from the federal government is sufficient depends on it how the virus will develop over the next few weeks.

Nuremberg: Institute for labor market and occupational research makes a proposal 

Researchers at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) have made a proposal with regard to Omikron that not everyone will be enthusiastic about: They recommend making unemployment insurance more expensive, which both employers and employees pay.

However, employers and associations have so far resisted this strictly.

Their argument: "The Federal Agency needs sufficient financial reserves so that it does not have to immediately fall back on the federal liquidity aid in recessions."