Schwerin introduces compulsory work for citizens' benefit recipients!

In Schwerin, citizens' benefit recipients will in future be required to work. The city council voted 24 to 16 (one abstention) in favor of the CDU's application. In the future, citizens' benefit recipients will have to work in non-profit institutions such as daycare centers, clubs and schools. This model is based on an example from the Saale-Orla district in Thuringia, where asylum seekers are already obliged to do charitable work. Asylum seekers there receive 80 cents per hour as compensation for additional expenses; In addition, one in four people has a full-time job.

The original application was initially only aimed at asylum seekers, but was expanded to include citizens' benefit recipients. CDU parliamentary group leader Gert Rudolf emphasizes the need for compensation for state services. Citizens' benefit is a social benefit for people who are able to work and cannot support themselves. At the end of 2023, Germany had around 5.5 million citizen benefit recipients.

Implementation details

Schwerin's mayor Rico Badenschier (SPD) voted against the application due to the high personnel and cost requirements. While the citizens' benefit recipients are supposed to receive a wage of one to two euros per hour, this wage is not considered refinanceable. According to the Federal Office of Labor and Social Affairs, citizens' benefit recipients who take on an additional job can earn over one euro, as the additional expense compensation is paid in addition to the basic security benefits.

The discussion about compulsory work for citizens' benefit recipients is also being pushed forward by the CDU at the federal level. Carsten Linnemann, General Secretary of the CDU, calls for a general obligation to work for recipients of citizens' benefit and refers to the model in Schwerin as a role model. Furthermore, the CDU district administrator Christian Herrgott is calling for nationwide sanctions for recipients of citizens' benefit who reject job offers. The current regulation stipulates that citizens' benefits can be reduced by a maximum of 10%, while Herrgott calls for cuts of at least 50% if people who are able to work do not accept jobs.

The current sanction options have decreased in practice, although the rules were tightened in March 2024. There is also discussion about abolishing citizen's money after the 2025 federal election, as it is seen as not providing enough of an incentive to take up work. Citizens' benefit was introduced by the traffic light coalition at the beginning of 2023 and has replaced unemployment benefit II (Hartz IV). Social organizations such as Caritas criticize the discussion about total objectors, as less than 1% of citizens' benefit recipients are classified as such.