Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – The reduction in a subsidy pot for the long-term unemployed planned by the federal government in the coming year has been met with criticism from Baden-Württemberg. Labor Minister Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut (CDU) said in Stuttgart on Thursday that it would be fundamentally wrong to cut the budget for the social labor market in the current situation. “We have to empower people to live independently of social benefits and to get out of unemployment.”
The CDU politician sees the financing of around 2,500 funding places in danger as a result of the federal government’s plans in the south-west. A model project has already shown that it is possible to open up opportunities on the first labor market and thus opportunities for participation to long-term unemployed people.
As can be seen from the draft budget of the traffic light coalition approved in the cabinet, only 4.2 billion euros are planned for “benefits for integration into work”. This year, on the other hand, around 4.8 billion are available. First, the “Spiegel” reported on the numbers.
However, the 4.2 billion is still more than was spent on incorporation last year. For 2021, around 4.04 billion euros are booked. Among other things, wage cost subsidies for employers who hire long-term unemployed people are financed from the pot.
Long-term unemployed are unemployed who have been unemployed for a year or more. Before the Corona crisis, their number had continuously decreased slightly. According to data from the Federal Employment Agency, it has been rising again since 2020.
