FDP Proposes Suspension of Financial Aid for Fresh Ukrainian Refugees
Ukrainian refugees in Germany are more like locals receiving social assistance when needed, under the guise of citizen's income. The criticism against this kind of state aid is growing.
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai urged for reducing state benefits for Ukrainians who have sought refuge in Germany from the Russian war aggression. He told the "Bild" newspaper that these refugees should no longer receive citizen's income but fall under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. The EU and FDP parliamentary faction have made similar demands earlier.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen recently questioned the distribution of citizen's income to Ukrainian refugees. He stated that citizen's income acts as a barrier to employment. Similarly, Djir-Sarai now claimed: "We have labor shortages everywhere - for example, in the hospitality industry, construction, or care. We should no longer fund unemployment with taxpayers' money but help people find jobs instead."
Martin Rosmann, labor market policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, countered in "Bild": "The assertion that citizen's income prevents Ukrainians from finding work is untrue." Only through citizen's income and Job Centers' support, Ukrainian refugees have been able to gain access to employment assistance at all.
Since June 2022, refugees from Russia-attacked Ukraine have been eligible for benefits under the Basic Security Act in Germany rather than the lower benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. This decision was made jointly by the federal and state governments. The change was partly justified because refugees from Ukraine have a direct right to a residence permit and do not need to wait for a decision like asylum seekers. Refugees from Ukraine are also allowed to work in Germany. They are entitled to citizen's income as usual, only if they have no or insufficient income.
Jobcenter questions "Job-Turbo"
The German government announced a "Job-Turbo" program last autumn to help refugees with a residence permit find jobs quickly. Bundesarbeitsminister Hubertus Heil from the SPD had announced that approximately 400,000 refugees would be placed directly in jobs from their language courses, including around 200,000 from Ukraine. According to figures from April, about 160,000 fleeing Ukrainian women and men had been placed in work since the start of the Russian aggression war.
However, Jobcenters have expressed concerns about the "Job-Turbo" program. The institutions are required to create success-oriented data, which further complicates integration. This approach is also inconsistent with the usual approach, where individuals are advised equitably and encouraged to pursue further education rather than being placed in helper jobs. This new approach for Ukrainian women and men and certain other refugees is legally questionable and challenging to explain to those affected. It is unclear whether this new approach is effective. In the end, we have a skills shortage and not a helper shortage.
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- Hubertus Heil, the SPD's Federal Labor Minister, announced a "Job-Turbo" program last autumn to quickly place refugees with a residence permit in jobs, with a focus on placing approximately 200,000 refugees from Ukraine.
- Despite the success of the "Job-Turbo" program, placing about 160,000 Ukrainian refugees in jobs since the start of the Russian aggression war, Jobcenters have raised concerns about the program's compatibility with their usual integration approach and data collection requirements.
- The CDU, along with other opposing parties, criticized the Citizen's income given to Ukrainian refugees, arguing that it acts as a barrier to employment, with FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai urging for a shift towards the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act for these refugees.
- Despite the FDP's stance on Ukrainian refugee benefits, the SPD's Martin Rosmann countered that citizen's income and Job Center support have been crucial in providing employment assistance to Ukrainian refugees, enabling them to find jobs in German industries facing labor shortages.
- As part of the new Asylum policy, refugees from Ukraine have been eligible for benefits under the Basic Security Act since June 2022, which offers more extensive benefits than the lower Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.
- With asylum seekers and refugees from Ukraine experiencing labor market challenges in Germany, there have been calls for reforms in social policy, with the SPD and CDU advocating for increased support in finding employment and integrating into the German labor market.
