Job center employee settles with citizens' income: full-time job is no longer worthwhile

Created: 2022-10-12 08:22

By: Patricia Huber

Citizens' money is already being criticized before it is even launched.

A job center employee complains that a minimum wage job would no longer be worthwhile compared to the Hartz IV successor.

Berlin – Citizens’ income is to start on January 1, 2023 and replace the previous Hartz IV system.

The Federal Ministry of Labor under Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) planned it that way.

But there are still a few criticisms of the reformed social welfare system.

For example, the Federal Employment Agency criticized early on that a changeover could hardly be implemented in such a short time.

Hartz IV: Job centers are not up to the onslaught of citizen income

A job center employee also complains, but she wants to remain anonymous for fear of consequences.

She explains to

that the employees have not yet been trained for the citizen money.

She expects a big rush at the job centers, since the standard rate with the citizen's income will be increased to 502 euros.

"I expect half of our city's residents will apply for benefits in January," she says.

However, the employees could not cope with this rush.

For many employees, the job would simply no longer be worthwhile.

Rising energy prices are particularly affecting low-income earners – the job center employee doesn’t think that raising the minimum wage to twelve euros would help either.

In the case of citizens' income, on the other hand, the rental and heating costs are covered.

There is also a more generous grace period than in the Hartz IV system for the appropriateness of the living space and assets.

Citizens' allowance: Job center employee finds Hartz IV successor unfair

The job center employee finds this unfair: "As working people, we try to turn over every penny and ask ourselves whether we can make the next school trip possible for our children," she says angrily in an interview with

.

"That can't be." She is against the introduction of citizen's income.

According to her calculations, a mini-job including citizen's income leaves more money to top up than a regular full-time job with minimum wage.

Minister of Labor Heil sees it differently.

It was only in mid-September that he emphasized: "We have to make sure that work pays." He referred to the increase in the minimum wage, the reduction in social security contributions for low earners and the expansion of housing benefits.

According to him, even with the citizen's income, it still makes a difference whether someone receives social benefits or works.

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"Some of my customers still want to work, but can't find anything," the woman makes clear to the news portal.

But that would only be about one in ten.

"Everyone else who could work prefers to receive basic security."