In this way, Heil wants to bring more long-term unemployed people onto the job market

Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) has promised reliable social security for people in need through the new citizens' allowance. "The introduction of citizen's income on January 1 will be one of the biggest social reforms in 20 years," Heil said during the first consultation on the draft law on Thursday in the Bundestag.

The "spirit of citizen money" is "the spirit of encouragement and empowerment," said Heil. In this way, the citizen's income will also make a "contribution to social cohesion".

Citizens' income is to replace the previous Hartz IV system at the turn of the year. An increase in the standard rates and better opportunities for additional income as well as more help for qualification and further training are planned. The previous sanctions, i.e. reductions in benefits in the event of certain omissions, are retained in a milder form.

The reform pursues two central goals, said Heil: On the one hand, the government wants to "reliably protect people who are in existential need". The Corona years in particular have shown how quickly this can happen.

Secondly, "and that's even more important to me", it should be ensured "that people get out of trouble permanently," Heil continued. The main reason why there are still many long-term unemployed is that two-thirds of them have not completed vocational training. That is why the subject of qualification is now being pushed further into the foreground.

So far, the long-term unemployed have often just been placed in some short-term job, criticized Heil. Now it should be about "good work instead of unskilled jobs" and "permanent integration into the labor market".

Heil rejected allegations that the citizen's income was equivalent to an unconditional basic income. There are still obligations to cooperate and for “very stubborn cases” there are also reductions in performance in the event of a refusal. However, he refuses to place those affected under the "general suspicion" that they are "too lazy to work".

Some are currently also trying to “play off low earners against the needy and the needy against refugees,” said Heil, referring to the AfD and “also to the CDU/CSU”. Especially in the current time, in which "social cohesion is threatened", he finds such rhetoric "personally indecent", said the minister. "That's not right".