Overview

• 2024 payments for Germany’s basic income support rose by €4 billion to €46.9 billion, reaching 5.5 million recipients including nearly 4 million of working age.
• Nearly half of Bürgergeld funds went to non-Germans, with €6.3 billion disbursed to Ukrainian refugees whose employment rate climbed from 24.8 percent to 33.2 percent.
• The Bundesrechnungshof warns that without additional cost-containment measures annual welfare spending could jump by another €29 billion by 2029.
• SPD leaders defend the current system and call for stronger activation policies, while CSU head Markus Söder demands stripping all Ukrainians of Bürgergeld support.
• Early cost-saving measures such as the Jobturbo placement program failed to meet savings targets, prompting demands for firmer enforcement of participation requirements.