Overview
- Chambers and employer associations sent an open letter pressing lawmakers to drop the levy, warning of added bureaucracy, limited firm capacity to train, relocation risks and a lack of suitable applicants.
- The Abgeordnetenhaus will debate the proposal on Thursday, with no final decision expected at this session.
- Work Senator Cansel Kiziltepe defended the measure as a solidaric tool to raise training in a city where only about 10.9% of firms train and the apprenticeship quota stands near 3.0%.
- The draft would collect wage‑linked payments from all employers into a fund that reimburses companies and authorities that fill apprenticeships, with reimbursements intended to exceed contributions.
- The CDU–SPD coalition tied the levy to creating 2,000 additional places in 2025 with the tally due in early 2026, as critics cite Bremen’s experience of lawsuits, administrative problems and a fund deficit.