*** The minimum wage has increased. But in terms of inflation, that's
a drop in the ocean. That's why many people have been asking themselves
lately whether work is still worthwhile at all. I want to
get to the bottom of this question in this film. Yes, it's still worth it. Sure, financially
it could look better. But it's
not just about making money for me. It can be worth it. But for many jobs it is not enough money
for living expenses. In addition:
The citizen money is there. And thus more money for people
who do not work. And that's debatable. Sorry, that's not possible. How do you explain that to people
who get up early and work? Controversial in politics
and on the construction site. If you want to work, you will find work. And those who do not want to work
must be punished. I can't bob around for decades
at the expense of the state . Those who depend on citizen income
feel disadvantaged. We were working, bent our backs for the crap state
. And in the end you get
a kick in the ass if you say it in German.
Is work still worth it? Or does citizen income make
life from the state more attractive in the crisis? 6:30 a.m.
in the Alt-Lindenau district of Leipzig. I'm visiting Sandra Hoppensack.
She is a single parent. Just like 2.6 million parents
in Germany. Hello, Catherine Vorndran here.
– Once all the way up. Understood. Sandra has been
on her feet for 1 hour. In 30 minutes she has to go
to daycare with her daughter Lea. What is to be done now? Breakfast, snack for the little one
so that she is taken care of in the day care center. In order to
take care of herself and her daughter, Sandra needs 2 jobs. She is
a saleswoman at the market and works in a call center. Mouse, no. Stop, stop, stop. We have to get dressed
to be on time. No!
– But. But I don't want to go to daycare.
– Oh, mouse. The daughter is in a bad mood,
the clock is ticking.
A normal morning. Sandra's car is in the workshop. It takes
Sandra longer than usual to take the tram to daycare and then to work. And pure.
Sandra arrives at the marketplace just as punctually. Today she works
9 hours a day in this cheese truck. She earns
little more than minimum wage. Sandra is one of around 7.5 million
low-income earners in Germany. Light. The trained hairdresser
got the
job on the cheese wagon by chance 10 years ago. Through a friend.
She is here twice a week. On the marketplace. It starts at 9 a.m.
The customers are already waiting. Nor a request?
– Yes, a piece of Brie Cremant. Look, half of it?
– Hm. Hm, yes, that's it then.
– Yes. 13.07 euros, please. It's fun nonetheless.
And that's worth a lot more. I'd rather do something strenuous that
I enjoy than … … well, anything. But you don't work
here in the car every day.
Market is Tuesday and Friday.
And that was it. Exactly.
– What are you doing the rest of the week? Monday and Thursday
I'm with us in the warehouse. Stand there in the trailer, prepare,
pack goods in, clean up. Whatever happens,
there is always something to do. Is that enough to live on?
– No, no, it's not enough. I'm in the call center on Wednesdays to
earn some extra money. But even that is not enough
to feed me and my daughter. It doesn't work entirely without state support
. We still get housing benefit
and child allowance. And child support. We'll get there pretty well. Sandra only makes it to the end of the month with state support,
i.e.
Housing benefit and child allowance . Despite working 32 hours a week. This customer is
just barely managing with her money. Difficult. I'm just realizing it.
I'm on maternity leave. And money is pretty tight. We live
from month to month to make ends meet. It can be worth it. But for many jobs it is not enough money
for living expenses. Dealing with high living costs
and increased energy prices with little wages: That's how Sandra feels. Do you feel
that your work is still worthwhile? Yes, it's still worth it. Sure, financially
it could look better. It's
not just about making money for me. Work also gives me self-esteem,
a bit of contacts. A little…
That makes me happy too. What do you all mean? Is
work actually still worth it? Tell me in the comments.
We're making a film on the subject: Is
work still worth it? How crazy haha!
– You're going crazy, why? Some have … … more money
than if you go to work. I worked in shifts.
I had 800 euros. And others who are at home have more
and get the rent paid. So I don't think it's worth it
. Precisely because the citizens' income
has now arrived, many
who have become unemployed will no longer
bother about work. Then they get the rent,
and this, for the children that. When I ask here at the market
whether work is worthwhile, the talk quickly turns to the
citizen's income that has been in effect for a month. That includes a
slightly higher standard rate than Hartz IV. Would money from the office
really be an alternative to work? I take a
closer look at this based on Sandra's situation: With her 2 jobs,
Sandra earns around 1,100 euros net.
In addition, there is 250 euros child benefit
for daughter Lea. That gives her 1,350 euros a month. For comparison: As a single mother, the basic income would
be 1,014 euros. First of all, not a big difference. But Sandra
also receives social benefits that only employees
can receive. This ends up
at 1,640 euros. Quite a big distance
to citizen money. Sandra also receives
maintenance for her daughter from the child's father. What do you think about that? It didn't encourage you to
quit your job. Absolutely not, I think
it hasn't changed either… The difference from before
with the ALG II isn't that big either. Sure, they get
a few euros more now. But it's all gotten more expensive, so it doesn't make
that huge difference. And … yes, that's the way it is … Of course there may be one
or the other who says: "Why do I still go to work?" But … If you want to work, you just
do it. All of that together. I also want
to be a role model for my daughter. For Sandra,
the citizen money is not worthwhile.
Review: In the fall of '22, the citizen's income,
the replacement of Hartz IV, was decided in the Bundestag. Among other things, higher standard rates, fewer sanctions
and a new protective asset were planned. The planned regulations
triggered a heated argument not only in Berlin . Citizens' income supports those
who do not want to work. And that's why it's antisocial. Citizens' income creates
qualification and further training. It creates
perspectives for people. Sorry, that's not possible. How do you explain that to people
who get up early and work? And then we wonder. Then we wonder
where the people are. Why people in gastronomy, retail or culture
suddenly have no employees. The citizen money is passed
after some changes. For example, fewer protective assets
and stricter sanctions were set. In terms of the opposition. Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil
vehemently defended the citizens' income.
There are no more sanctions? It is correct that we concentrate sanctions
and obligations to cooperate on stubborn cases
. But the spirit of citizen income
is not that we suspect all
long-term unemployed of being lazy. Most want to work. The question of whether work is still worthwhile is
still hotly debated, especially online. Do I also experience this mood
when I meet people who
do hard physical work every day? I'm going to Halle.
I meet Nico Keil in an industrial area. The 20-year-old is a plant mechanic
in a construction company. One of 41.5 million employees
in Germany. Catherine.
– Nico. Nico has finished his apprenticeship for a year and is out in the field 40 hours a week
. His job today: to install heating and toilets in a day care center
on the outskirts of Halle .
Everything has to go in there now?
– Exactly, everything has to go in there. In order to do this job, Nico has
completed 3.5 years of training. In the end, he
earned 750 euros a month. He has been studying for a year. I now earn 13.50 euros. For starters,
that's relatively fine, yes. It then increases
from year to year. Aha, you start
with 1.50 euros above the minimum wage. And then…
– Exactly. Then you go up. Are you satisfied? Is
that enough?
That's good enough for me, yes. Nico earns
1.50 euros/h more than minimum wage. Net, he has a
good 1,600 euros/month left to live on. Because he lives with his parents, he still has
a decisive advantage. Because
I hardly have any expenses, apart from paying my mother
some maintenance, what I save a month
is already 1,000 euros. Saving so much is rather difficult with a family and children
. Nico's colleague Maik von der Gönne
has 3 children. His wife is
self-employed.
Due to inflation, the family has to
tighten their belts a little. You notice that
when you go shopping: you have less in the car for the same money
. If you
buy the same as you used to, you have to pay more. You have to
make compromises in other areas. Or just gas prices. Now they just
fell a bit again. But when it was more than 2 euros,
you start thinking: Can I
take the kids somewhere for a weekend trip? He doesn't think it's fair that from this year people
who don't work will have more available due to the citizen's income
. I see this is taxpayer money
we pay. Everyone who goes to work.
It's not OK. I also know many
who are of the same opinion and who also get up early
or even earlier than we do. Who
go to work at four in the morning. And then
some people turn around 3 times at home. I don't think that's okay. If you want to work, you will find work. And those who do not want to work
must be punished. I can't
bob around for decades at government expense. That's not okay in my opinion. Like many others, he is afraid that citizen income
will invite people to rest.
Where this fear comes from
and whether it is justified, I talk
to Dr. Irene Becker. The economist has been researching
poverty and subsistence level for over 20 years. It's the old discussion
since Hartz IV. I wonder why
an entire system is based on the fact that there
may be a few who,
for whatever reason, refuse and have withdrawn
and are resigned. The unmotivated
are isolated cases. People want work. Gainful employment is
recognized in our society. Everyone in this society wants to
have social contacts, be recognized
and have a sense of self-worth. That is not proven,
this crooked image of man. And it's a shame that
some political groups keep
pushing it forward. And
what experts say is simply ignored.
For Becker, the fear that people
are resting on the citizen's income is unfounded. The researcher also denies that work is
no longer worthwhile . The idea that
work is not worthwhile is often
based on incorrect calculations. You have to calculate in detail.
We have a sophisticated system. This is where priority services come into play,
which lead to a livelihood. Benefits
only for employees are: housing benefit, maintenance advance
for single parents and child allowance. I'm on my way to Regis-Breitingen
to the Gellert family. I want to know: is living with citizen income
as comfortable and attractive as many fear? Hello!
– Hello Hello! Hello, I'm Catherine.
– Bettina, always come with me. Bettina and Peter have been living
on unemployment benefit II for years. They live here
with 2 of Bettina's children and her grandson.
Son Jens is visiting today,
also unemployed. He gives me a tour
of the Gellerts' home. And your parents live here,
your siblings? Exactly. Renting a house
despite being unemployed sounds great in theory. The reality is different. Wow, it's cold up here.
– Here yes. Phew, awesome! It
's already 8°C outside. Well, it's not icy.
So who lives here now? That's Patrick sleeping. Hm. And when I'm here,
I'm gone for the most part, I'll crash here quickly.
In the room opposite I can see why it is so cold here.
The attic is developed,
but not insulated. It looks like this here. The Gellert family tried
to get their hands on the insulation, but without success. Oh, you really have to heat that.
However, the office does not pay the costs. No, it was really cold.
You had to turn the heating to 5. This is Jaden's room.
– Can we have a look? In any case. But that's cleaned up for 6 years.
– This is how it is supposed to be. Is he still at school now?
– He's at school, relaxed. Hort, then homework.
Mostly at school. Jaden lives here.
Jens' nephew.
Jaden's mother became pregnant when she was 16. The boy
grows up here as a foster child. I'll get to know him later. I meet
Bettina and Peter again in the kitchen. Because they are chronically ill, their life has been
financed through ALG II for years. They are among the 5.4 million people who
received unemployment benefit II last year. Today they cook
lunch for 6 people. you the I the.
I'll take the knife voluntarily. Good. Do you know
how much food costs here? The potatoes, the sack 4 euros. That was a small one. 4 euros?
– Yes, 3 euros and … And the cabbage came 4 euros. For 2 kg of minced meat, the man paid … … 20 euros, just under 20 euros. In total we paid 4, 4, 4 and 20,
that's 32 euros. Exactly.
– For a meal? Yes. An exception.
Because
the Gellerts only have a budget of 250 euros for food for the whole month. That should change with the citizen money
. It's January now.
From this month you will receive the citizen's income. No more Hartz IV. Does that bring more?
Can you invest more in food? No. you can do what you want
You can take whatever you want. You don't notice the 50 euros
more or not anymore. If I could go to work
if I wasn't sick I wouldn't care
because I would have gone to work. Bettina has severe asthma. She used to
work in hop growing. Now the unemployment benefit for the 57-year-old must
last until she retires. The Gellerts tell me that they only have 270 euros
left over from the Hartz IV benefit to live on. Peter is also ill
and cannot work. He has had a heart condition since 2017. His application
for a disability pension is pending. Bettina doesn't have a good word
for the German social system. We were working. bent your back for the
crap state. And in the end you get
a kick in the ass if you say it in German. You have a frustration
that a lot of people have.
No, I'm not frustrated.
It's all about the principle. What is the truth
should remain the truth. And what does
our dear nice government say? "Oh, we don't care." Bettina is dissatisfied. She thinks politics does
n't take her problems seriously. The Gellerts don't know how much citizen money
they're getting paid now . The mail from the office
is unsorted in a pile. We look at the letter
from the job center together. As a couple, they would have to get 94 euros
more than with Hartz IV. That's
what you get as citizen income. From January 1st. And insurance is now being deducted from this
, your warm rent, the electricity. And in the end you get 282.29 euros.
And that was it. Exactly. That's 10 euros more
than you would get with Hartz IV. Well, you have to live with that. It's a criminal state,
I'll be honest. A complicated calculation. I'm looking at
the Gellerts' budget. Bettina and Peter
receive citizen money and child benefit for their grandson. Insurance
and ancillary costs for the house are deducted from this and child benefit is taken into account.
In the end, 532 euros are paid out. Because they receive board money from son Patrick,
who lives in the house, and child-raising allowance
from Jaden's foster child rate, they make ends meet. In the end, the 3 have
882 euros a month to live on. The care allowance for the grandson is an important financial help
for the Gellerts. Otherwise you would
n't get by if you didn't have that. But this is
all meant for the little one and not for us,
in quotes. But the care part
is definitely there for us because we have it. If it wasn't for that, you could
n't survive at all. Not at all. That would not work at all. The fact that Jaden lives here
is also important for you financially? Yes.
– Yes. While some politicians complain that the citizen's income
would invite laziness, Bettina, on the other hand, finds
the high salaries of politicians unfair.
But the diets are ramped up. Let's build a new chancellery. For how many millions?
Do we want to argue about this? No. They have their sum every month,
which they get paid out. Should they count differently? Everyone who gets that kind of money, put it down to the minimum
we can get. They won't be there
by the end of the month. They survive a week,
but then there's nothing left. For Bettina, even the citizen's income is
still not enough to live on.
Son Jens is also back for lunch. The 30-year-old was
in prison for more than 2 years in 2016. A robbery conviction. Since then, he has never been able to
keep a job for long. He was currently on sick leave for
mental health problems. After dinner we pick
up nephew Jaden from school. On the way Jens tells me
about his plans for the future. Your parents
are unemployed and sick. They will
not work in the future either.
How does it look for you?
– Me yes, again from February. But now you're unemployed?
– Exactly, and on sick leave. And written off sick. Do you get unemployment benefit I
because you paid in? No, Hartz IV.
Or citizens' income now. From now on citizen money.
– I don't deal with it. I don't care
because I'm going to work anyway. The fact that there are 50 euros more
is not relevant to you? No, for me it is relevant
that I go back to work. I do the math.
As a single person, Jens currently has 652 euros available with the citizen's income. If he
accepts a job for minimum wage in the future, after deducting the rent
for his one-room apartment in Regis-Breitingen, he will
still have 1,350 euros to live on. With a job, he would have
almost 700 euros more every month. Financially, working
for him would definitely be worthwhile. For Jens, this is
just one reason of many. You have to look at it this way: a youngster like me,
who has nothing physically, does n't need to
sit around at home either. Yes. He can go to work
like anyone else. But that's
the big criticism of citizen money, that people say
everyone is resting on their laurels.
You show that it is not so.
– Exactly, I'd rather go to work. Is that important to you? Yes, I don't want to…
How should I put it? …
be presented as a bum. Here it is?
– Exactly, here he is. There 's one there too.
– Exactly, come on. Hello! The 6-year-old is in the 1st class. Because Jaden
grew up with his grandparents and Jens spends a lot of time here,
they have a close bond.
Jens regularly helps with homework. Math is on the agenda today. Oh, you know which book. Oh, you did. Do you care that he's good? Yes, bad grades
won't get you anywhere in life. I was the opposite. Do n't feel like it.
– bullies. Why is it so important to you now
that you sit down with them? Because the, because … animal. He doesn't have to be such a lout, let's
put it that way. School is for learning. Despite a criminal past,
Jens is now trying to find a new path.
He hopes for
a better start in life for his nephew. Jens, what do you hope
Jaden will do in the future? Honest?
Going to school, training, working. Then he can enjoy life.
Before there is nothing else. He doesn't have to
come around the corner and say: "Oh, there's money from the state." Nothing. Even though you get it yourself?
– Yes. I used to not care crosswise.
I had other hobbies then. But meanwhile, after that time,
I went to work. Sick now,
and then back to work. The increased standard rate of citizen income does not make unemployment more
attractive for Jens either. At the Leipzig market,
Sandra's working day is slowly coming to an end. Her ex-husband has
already picked up her daughter Lea from daycare. One last customer. A cheese for the young lady. You want cheese?
Shall we see what you like? Yes?
We'll see. I'll give you something to try. Yes, I know
it's very cold today. Now Sandra just has to clean up.
Then it's closing time. How long are you on your feet? I left the house
at 6:50 a.m. I got up
just before half past five. How are you doing? Go, tired, cold.
Above all, cold today. Tiredness only comes
when I'm home afterwards, everything is done
and the little one is in bed. Then that's the moment… Your working day is over after 9 hours. She has
her call center shift tomorrow. Despite several jobs, single parents like Sandra are
most at risk of poverty alongside the unemployed. Done.
– Done. At least that's what the statistics say. To summarize: For Sandra, resting
on the citizens' income is not an option. Her work is worthwhile because she gets help such as housing benefit
and child allowance. For Nico,
the work pays off so well that he can save. Working is also worthwhile for his colleague Maik
, although he has to budget more
than before inflation. Even for Jens,
who is currently not working, a job at minimum wage is
more attractive than citizen income. My conclusion:
In the end, work is worth it for everyone.
Because there
is state aid especially for employees. If you liked the video,
leave a like or subscribe. If you are interested in money worries
and inflation, have a look
at the colleagues. Copyright MDR 2023.
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