Zu Mindesthöhe und Qualifizierung beim Kurzarbeitergeld: Stellungnahme des IAB zur öffentlichen Anhörung im Ausschuss für Arbeit und Soziales des Deutschen Bundestags am 1.3.2021

The statement evaluates the two motions (on minimum short-time allowance and qualification short-time allowance) that were discussed at the public hearing of the Committee on Labour and Social Affairs of the German Bundestag on 1 March 2021. Compared to the first proposal and the current regulation regarding an increase in short-time allowance for low-wage earners, it would be more advisable - in order to reduce unequal treatment and false incentives - to stagger the percentages of short-time allowance according to income. Such a regulation would take into account the fact that the short-time allowance depends on the actual loss of working time. As far as qualification short-time work is concerned, public investments in further education would not only counteract risks of structural change of a digital and ecological transformation but could also lead to considerable fiscal returns via wage and employment effects and higher tax and contribution revenues and significantly reduce short-time work costs. It would be advisable to link short-time work as closely as possible with qualification, which should include the provision of as flexible as possible further training formats, advisory services, and financial incentives. A transitional short-time allowance (with a longer-term orientation and new qualifications as its main goal) could also be useful in terms ofthe further development of competences in structural change - but the funding would not come into question for a large part of the employees in Germany due to the prerequisites mentioned in the motion. A more open design would be a financially secured opportunity for all employees to obtain new qualifications. This would not exclude a collective application; especially in the case of collective use, it would also make sense - as mentioned in the proposal - to use planning at company level. It would also be conceivable to have a wage replacement above the level of unemployment benefit or, parallel to that, premiums for further training for the unemployed (such as an education bonus).