At least 150,000 people, including Ukrainians, may lose unemployment benefits in Germany – Bild

Unemployment benefits in Germany could be lost by at least 150,000 people, saving the budget approximately 150 million euros in the first two months.

This information reported according to estimates from the German government reported by Bild.

The unemployment benefit, known as “Bürgergeld” (563 euros per month), will be suspended for at least two months for those who refuse suitable job offers. Ukrainian refugees also receive this benefit, which might be suspended again after two months.

However, the benefit’s cancellation only takes effect a month after rejecting work offers, which means theoretically, the unemployed could lose payments in 8 out of 12 months, notes Bild.

Ukrainians are at risk of losing benefits, but they’re not the only ones. According to data from summer 2023, more than 700,000 Ukrainians receive Bürgergeld (approximately 20% of refugees have already found employment). Among them, two-thirds, which is over 400,000, are considered capable of working.

Ukrainians constitute the largest group of recipients of this benefit among foreigners in Germany. However, it’s important to understand that roughly half of those on Bürgergeld are German citizens.

This means that the story of benefit deprivation could primarily affect Germans themselves, who at least speak the language and can potentially find work more quickly.

Ukrainians, currently attending German language courses, are formally considered partially employed. Consequently, there’s a high probability that benefits will primarily be withdrawn from those who have already completed courses or refused to attend them (while also refusing work offers).