Citizens' Allowance Debate - The Saar government will integrate more people into work
The Saarland Minister-President Anke Rehlinger (SPD) advocates for giving more focus to the topic of employment integration. "I consider this significantly more important than shooting at the welfare state for the wrong reasons," she said at the summer press conference in Saarbrücken. In addition, she spoke in favor of "higher density of care" for welfare recipients.
Given that 63% of beneficiaries in Saarland have a migration background, she also warned against a "poisonous debate." It's important to be precise and carefully observe what obstacles the 23,000 jobless welfare recipients in the country face in going to work. "Perhaps we need to get down to the level of every case," she said.
One should also consider whether there are really enough German language courses and what the required criteria are at the language level to be able to join the labor market. She considers it "absolutely right" to come to practice as soon as possible, "instead of hanging in a language course forever." In addition, it will not be possible to avoid looking at controlled immigration in the country.
It's still correct that working pays more according to a "literal application of our legal framework" than just receiving welfare. However, for some, the calculation "welfare plus black market work is better than working" still holds. Here, one should not look away, but should name it clearly, speak about it, and look for solutions. "What I absolutely should not do is politically deny it," said the Minister-President. She announced that she would check how many forces there are in Saarland that can control black market work.
- Anke Rehlinger, the SPD's Minister-President of Saarland, emphasized the importance of focusing on employment integration within the government's agenda.
- The high percentage of beneficiaries with migration backgrounds in Saarland, amounting to 63%, prompted Minister-President Rehlinger to caution against a harmful debate.
- Rehlinger suggested considering the need for more German language courses and evaluating the required language competencies for joining the labor market in Saarland.
- As the Minister-President, Rehlinger advocated for implementing practical German language training instead of prolonging the language course period.
- In her efforts to tackle social issues in Saarland and Germany, Rehlinger vowed to examine the available forces capable of controlling black market work.
