Steffen Kampeter, CEO of the Federation of German Employer Associations (BDA), has demanded that Job Centers rigorously implement the new rules accompanying the transition to the Basic Security (Grundsicherung) and the Bürgergeld. Kampeter told the “Neuen Osnabrücker Zeitung” that there is a need for “strict participation requirements, effective sanctions, and job placement to be consistently applied.” He emphasized, “It is not enough merely to write them into the law-the Job Centers must also apply them in everyday practice.”
While generally welcoming the shift scheduled for July 1st, the BDA’s CEO stated that the change to the new Basic Security is “correct.” For businesses, the critical factor is accelerating and sustaining the reintegration of more people into the workforce. “The success of this system change must be measured exactly by that,” he noted. “The focus needs to revert to placement, participation, and taking up work.”
According to Kampeter, the new Basic Security signals the start of a major social state reform, with subsequent stages still needing to follow. A crucial area requiring improvement is the integration of Basic Security with the earning system. He asserted that earned work must increasingly be more rewarding than receiving social benefits, particularly when worked in full-time.
