Anyone in the Nordhausen district Thuringia If you are under 25 years old and receive basic income, you must do community service. The obligation to work applies to everyone who is healthy and not pursuing any training. Anyone who refuses will be visited by the public order office if necessary.
This pilot project should now be perpetuated. The district has thus reignited a debate that extends far beyond Thuringia. For some, the approach is long overdue and consistent, for others it is a breach of a socio-political taboo. As is often the case, the truth lies in between.
First of all, it’s worth taking a step back and thinking about the goal Citizen’s money and the welfare state as a whole. A modern welfare state must not limit itself to keeping those in need quiet and managing poverty. Its core mission is care and at the same time: empowerment. It is intended to stabilize people, secure their dignity and enable them to participate self-determinedly in the labor market and in society again.
Given this requirement, the measure in Nordhausen makes sense. Regular employment brings structure to everyday life for some of those affected, creates routine, perhaps even strengthens self-confidence and can promote social skills. Young people in particular who have not yet found access to training or work often benefit more from clear expectations and practical involvement than from pure cash benefits.
Compulsory work is not an end in itself
But the public discussion is poisoned. The impression is repeatedly given – including by politicians – that people who receive social welfare benefits are fundamentally lazy and do not want to work. Then the pilot project in Nordhausen seems like proof of this. But the reality is different: the project affects a very small, narrowly defined group of young people under the age of 25.
The vast majority of people who receive basic income want to work, but cannot find a suitable job, often because they are struggling with health, family or structural hurdles. For many older, long-term unemployed people, re-entering the job market is significantly more difficult – despite motivation and commitment.
The arguments against such programs also fall short. Federal Minister of Social Affairs Bärbel Bas points out the additional effort and costs for job centers and municipalities. She is right that such measures are costly.