Nearly 7 million people in Germany work on the so-called minijob - with a maximum salary of 603 euros per month, on which social and tax deductions are not due. And many Bulgarians are employed in such positions. Is the end of the minijob coming?
About 6.9 million people in Germany work on the so-called minijob. The main condition for this type of employment is that the salary does not exceed 603 euros per month. People employed on minijobs do not pay taxes. In addition, no contributions are due for health and pension insurance, nor for unemployment insurance. For those working a mini-job, this is a big advantage.
For many people working in similar positions, there are other reasons, as Sophia Arndt explains. She works in two places - part-time in an organic food store and in a Berlin café, where she works about 36 hours a month.
The pros and cons of a mini-job
"I need a lot of time for myself. It always has been like this and I think it will stay that way," she says, sharing that the opportunity to earn extra money with the help of a so-called mini-job is a good solution for her.
Student Daniela Ahrens from Berlin also relies on a so-called mini-job. In fact, her main job is in a hotel, but not full-time, as she also needs time for lectures and exam preparation. But to make ends meet, she also works part-time in a clothing store, where she earns less than 603 euros a month.
"The idea behind the so-called mini-job was actually to serve as a bridge to the labor market, so that people could easily enter it and then continue to develop," says Nuremberg economist Enzo Weber. Instead, however, it is very clear that they create an obstacle, because people simply do not cross this threshold of 603 euros, because then they have to start paying taxes and social security contributions, explains the expert. "And in fact, it would be possible to do much more - to develop professionally and provide for a pension."
This is also the opinion of the trade unions and most parties. According to the Mini-Job Center, however, the motives of many people working in this way are different. More than half use them as additional income, exempt from social security contributions, in addition to employment already subject to social security contributions, according to current data. In addition to this, there are also people over 60, as well as younger people who are studying at university or in vocational training. For just over 5 percent, a so-called mini-job would be a possible way to enter the labor market.
Meanwhile, every second company in Germany hires people in so-called mini-jobs. Most of these jobs are in trade, hotels, gastronomy, cleaning - sectors that need additional staff, especially during peak hours.
"The working hours here are flexible, people know that they can work here for two, three, four hours a day," says Marta Susid, co-owner of a cafe. "The rest of the time they do their own personal things. And that is a great help for us when those few hours are taken away from us every day."
Now, however, as part of its pension reform, the German government is planning to abolish the current model of the so-called minijob - on the recommendation of the specialized pension commission. Exceptions are only foreseen for students. Possible "special rules" for students are also being considered.
"We will certainly find a solution if it comes to that. But it may turn out that if it costs us too much, then the customers will also have to participate in the financing," says Marta Susid.
For Daniela Ahrens, abolishing the current model would mean that she would have to return to her main job and increase her working hours there. "But then I will have less time for my studies, for my training."
And Sofia Arndt says that if the model is abolished, she will probably have to give up her part-time job and the so-called minijob and look for something completely different.
And many Bulgarians work in the so-called minijob
Thousands of Bulgarians also work in Germany on so-called mini-jobs - mostly in the fields of cleaning and gastronomy, but also in the hotel industry and construction. The model is also the basis of criminal schemes that siphon off social benefits. And they function like this: adults from Bulgaria and Romania are officially registered as working on so-called mini-jobs, but in reality people work full-time, with the salary beyond these 603 euros being earned illegally. The officially announced low incomes allow these people to receive social benefits that guarantee the subsistence minimum, since EU citizens are entitled to this. Often this money ends up in the pockets of the smugglers who run the scheme.
According to the latest data from the German Labor Office, Bulgarians are in first place in receiving social benefits in Germany among foreigners from the EU. As many as 25% of Bulgarians in the Federal Republic receive support from the state - in most cases it is a supplement to the subsistence minimum, since officially declared incomes are too low.