At the Employment Agency in Aachen, there is always a queue of people who need support. They are there to apply for social security benefits - the so-called citizen's income (Bürgergeld), to submit documents or to receive information about their social security payments.
Michael Hupperz is one of the people who receives Bürgergeld. He has been trying to find a job for a long time, ARD reports. The future ruling coalition in Germany between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats has announced that it will punish people who refuse the job offered to them by the Employment Agency more severely. Many, including Hupperz, are wondering what this will mean for citizens' income recipients. "This won't lead to anything," the man says.
"There are people who really can't work. I think it would be completely wrong to pressure these desperate people with any measures." According to him, coercion will most likely have the opposite effect.
Most people want to find a job
Another benefit recipient in the queue has the exact opposite opinion, ARD reports. According to Darian Nabo, the stricter sanctions are a good idea: "You have to be organized and take care of yourself. You have to take responsibility for your work and your education," the Ukrainian believes.
Studies by the Employment Agency show that people who refuse the job offer they are offered are only between two and three percent of all Bürgergeld recipients. "The people who refuse the offers that are so intensely discussed are practically non-existent", the head of the Aachen Employment Agency, Stefan Graf, told the ARD.
"What we notice is that there is something to be desired in terms of keeping to the agreed hours and the activity of individual benefit recipients. More effective measures should be provided for them, such as temporarily suspending payments,", Graf believes.
"Individual cases cast a shadow"
Tatiana Salomo, an employee of the Aachen Employment Agency, also does not believe that the attitude of politicians and society towards her clients is fair. "It is unfortunate that individual cases also cast a shadow over the rest of those affected, who are making an effort and really trying to change their situation."
In the Aachen region, around 11 percent of the population receives Bürgergeld, and in Germany as a whole, around eight percent. Among them are not only the unemployed, but also those who work but earn too little.
This assistance is intended for anyone who is of working age but cannot meet their basic needs with their income. Thus, those in need receive 563 euros per month, and couples - a total of 1,012 euros.
Opportunities for further training are important
The head of the Aachen Employment Agency, Stefan Graf, hopes that people will be able to be helped better in the future. However, he is concerned about the planned advantage of the mediation, which provides that finding a job takes priority over further training. According to Graf, this could ultimately lead to training opportunities being neglected.
"Many of the long-term unemployed lack school and vocational qualifications", he commented to ARD. "Around 80% of our unemployed people have no vocational qualifications. Many of them live alone and have health problems. This is exactly where we need to work - with empathy, care and support, but also with clear expectations regarding the willingness to make efforts, personal initiative and cooperation."
He still believes that the plans of the new government are in the right direction. "I welcome the intentions for less bureaucracy, more digitalization, unification and simplification of services, sufficient funding for job centers and increased individual responsibility."
Improving the economic situation
Other representatives of the Employment Agency and labor experts also emphasize that the future government must above all quickly improve the economic situation, as the labor market is tight and there are no jobs for many of the unemployed.
Bernd Fitzenberger, director of the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research, told ARD: "Currently, there are simply very few employment opportunities for Bürgergeld recipients, who are often low-skilled, have health restrictions or, if they are of migrant origin, have to learn the language. For many of these people, there are currently no suitable proposals."
According to Fitzenberger, this will be one of the biggest and most important challenges facing the future government of Friedrich Merz.
There are still many positive examples, ARD notes at the end of its report. For Michael Huppertz, for example, this is probably his last visit to the agency, as he has found a job.
Author: Jan Koch WDR