Employer President Rainer Dulger warns against a repeated extension of the increased short-time work allowance in the Corona crisis.
"The short-time allowance was the best crisis aid in the past few months and has secured many jobs," said the President of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA) of the "Rheinische Post": "But it must not be a permanent solution."
Of course, there are sectors that have suffered greatly from the corona restrictions, such as showmen, stand builders, trade, gastronomy and the hotel industry.
"Here we need to come to industry-specific aid programs that are paid for with taxpayers' money instead of further burdening the contributors," demanded Dulger.
The employer president sharply criticized plans to introduce a citizen's allowance and to eliminate the asset test for Hartz IV recipients.
“There must be no backwards role in labor market policy.
With citizen income and the elimination of the asset test, we are losing sight of the goal of an activating welfare state," emphasized Dulger.
"Citizens' allowance sounds good, but it's a misnomer." The coalition could well rename Hartz IV.
"But the substance of these bold reforms must not be lost."
Dulger also warned against an increase in social security contributions to 43 percent of a gross monthly wage in this legislative period.
This is not a worst-case scenario, but very likely if countermeasures are not taken.
“Increasing social security contributions are at the expense of growth and employment.
If work becomes more expensive, Germany loses its attractiveness as a place to work.”
Due to demographic change, the social system in its current form can no longer function as it is.
"That's why we are promoting a more flexible retirement age, limiting the demands on the healthcare system and concentrating unemployment insurance on the core areas."