Ampel intends to conduct a regular monthly Q&A session at the local employment office.
The coalition government, known as the traffic light coalition, is working on revitalizing its growth initiative. One of the key aspects involves making it simpler for individuals to secure jobs faster. According to a draft proposal, job centers may require jobless benefit recipients to visit at least once a month. This proposal has sparked some skepticism.
In the future, it's possible that jobless benefit recipients may be required to physically visit their local job centers under specific circumstances. The traffic light government has proposed this in an amendment, which the federal cabinet has approved. The amendment states: "A monthly reporting requirement will be implemented for jobless benefit recipients if it's necessary for their integration into the labor market."
The goal is to optimize the "use of existing integration opportunities" by increasing "contact frequency," as mentioned in the draft obtained by the German Press Agency. The draft suggests that face-to-face conversations at the job center would be more effective than digital or phone reports.
Criticism from states and associations
However, it remains uncertain whether this new reporting requirement will indeed be implemented and for whom. The states and associations have raised significant objections to the draft, which still requires approval from the Bundesrat.
According to an appendix to the draft, the states view a monthly reporting requirement as "an inappropriate intrusion into the local discretion and organization of job centers." Both the German Association of Towns and Municipalities and the German Association of Towns and Municipalities have expressed similar concerns. Additionally, it has been suggested that the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) would prefer to limit the affected group to jobless benefit recipients in their first 12 months. This group is also a primary focus for the federal government due to the potential for regular face-to-face contact to prevent long-term benefit receipt.
Additional pressure for growth initiative
Unlike the BA, the traffic light coalition also considers a reporting requirement for other benefit recipients, such as graduates of labor market policy measures or integration or language courses. Personal mandatory conversations are also being considered for young people or "individuals with more complex problem situations," according to the document. The federal government has also requested a legal review from the Ministry of Justice, with the results still pending.
The monthly reporting requirement for benefit recipients is a part of the so-called growth initiative, which the federal government adopted a few weeks ago. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit emphasized that a larger labor market offer is necessary for more economic power in the country. "Therefore, it's important, among other things, to bring more people who are currently receiving benefits into work," he explained.
Given the ongoing discussions about the growth initiative, the federal government may consider expanding the monthly reporting requirement to include other benefit recipients, such as graduates of labor market policy measures or integration courses. This proposal is being reviewed by the Ministry of Justice. Additionally, the Federal Agency for Labour (Bundesagentur für Arbeit or BA) has suggested limiting the affected group to jobless benefit recipients in their first 12 months, as they are a key focus for the federal government due to the potential for regular face-to-face contact to prevent long-term benefit receipt.
