The training period for employees planned by Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) has been put on hold for the time being.

According to a report by the Bavarian media group from ministry circles, Christian Lindner's (FDP) Ministry of Finance "introduced reservations about the Further Education Act in the departmental vote for budgetary reasons".

The German Press Agency confirmed this information from the environment of the Ministry of Finance.

Heil only presented his plans for the training period on Monday.

In the future, employees should be able to take a one-year break from work for training or further education, as is the case in Austria.

Part-time training for up to two years should also be possible.

"Maintenance will be ensured through funds from the Federal Employment Agency, at the level of unemployment benefit, i.e. 60 percent for single people, 67 percent with children," Heil had announced.

The prerequisite should be an agreement between employer and employee.

The project is also agreed in the traffic light coalition agreement.

To justify the reservation, the Ministry of Finance now said that the project would have "significant cost consequences" that must be discussed before approval is given in connection with the federal budget and financial planning.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Labor told the Bayern media group "that the departmental coordination and thus the internal government talks are still ongoing".

The federal government's plan for paid training periods for employees was met with skepticism in medium-sized companies.

The medium-sized companies benefited from the further training in view of the acute shortage of skilled workers, said the managing director of the Federal Association of Medium-sized Businesses, Markus Jerger, to the newspapers of the Funke media group.

"A law that allows a training break of up to one year completely ignores operational reality.

As long as the financing, the replacement for the absent employee and the question of returning to work have not been clarified, such a law cannot be made with medium-sized companies.”