The labor wing of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is pushing for a significant tightening of rules governing Minijobs. According to a motion prepared for the party’s national convention at the end of February and obtained by Stern magazine, the group argues that “a transitional model has become a parallel world of work.” What began as small, supplementary jobs has, for many people, turned into a career dead end.
The proposal calls for existing Minijobs to be gradually shifted into regular employment subject to full social-security contributions. Only students, pupils, retirees, and employees with clearly limited side jobs would continue to qualify for Minijobs in the future. The goal is to sharply reduce their overall number. “Minijobs lead to a lowering of labor standards, encourage undeclared work, and distort competition,” the labor wing states in the motion.
Up to eight million people in Germany currently hold a Minijob, defined as employment in which monthly earnings do not exceed €603. Yet workers in these positions receive only limited social protection, and earning a secure pension is hardly achievable. “The supposed advantage of ‘more take-home pay’ turns out to be a loss of security,” the labor wing warns.
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