Cutting social assistance Federal Council wants to crack down on work-shy Ukrainians
The Federal Council wants to increase the pressure on unemployed Ukrainian asylum seekers. The aim is to increase the employment rate among Ukrainians to 40 percent by the end of the year.
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- The Federal Council wants to increase the pressure on unemployed Ukrainian asylum seekers.
- Among other things, social assistance is to be reduced, but a simplified registration requirement for employment contracts and the facilitation of cantonal transfers are also to be introduced.
- The federal government is aiming to increase the employment rate among Ukrainian asylum seekers to 40% by the end of the year.
The Federal Council wants to increase the pressure on Ukrainians without a job in order to encourage them to take a job. At the end of September, the government announced that Ukrainian refugees "should be obliged to take part in integration measures." According to "Sonntagsblick", this means that Ukrainians face sanctions if they do not integrate. These include cuts to social welfare.
Penalties are already possible today. For example, if Ukrainians refuse to attend a language course. In principle, people seeking protection are subject to similar regulations as social welfare recipients, including refugees and temporarily admitted persons. They can be subject to moderate regulations in accordance with the Integration Ordinance.
However, protection seekers are not explicitly mentioned in the current version of the ordinance. The Federal Council now intends to close this loophole, having issued a corresponding mandate to Beat Jans' (60) Department of Justice at the end of September.
Cantons and municipalities to take tougher action
The planned amendment sends a clear signal to the cantons and municipalities: They should take tougher action. According to the newspaper, the federal government is of the opinion that the cantons too rarely use sanctions to encourage Ukrainians to take up employment.
At the beginning of the year, the federal government therefore reminded the cantonal authorities in a circular that social welfare benefits can be capped for Ukrainians.
The amount of social assistance for people with S status varies depending on the canton and municipality and is calculated individually. For example, in the canton of Bern, a Ukrainian woman receives CHF 382 per month if she lives in collective accommodation. If she lives in individual accommodation, on the other hand, she receives 696 francs, as the Sonntagsblick writes. Significantly less asylum social assistance compared to regular refugees. For this reason, the Conference for Social Assistance (Skos) recommends a sanction of a maximum of 15 percent of basic needs. At CHF 382, this would be CHF 57 less per month.
The employment rate should rise to 40 percent by the end of the year
The Federal Council has set itself the goal of increasing the employment rate to 40% by the end of the year. This should reduce social expenditure and ease the burden on the federal coffers.
The federal government is planning several measures to improve the employment situation for Ukrainian asylum seekers. Instead of a permit requirement, a simple registration requirement for employment contracts should suffice in future. In addition, it is to be made easier for jobseekers to change cantons if they find a job in another canton.
To promote job integration, Adrian Gerber (56) has been appointed as the chief job mediator for Ukrainians. His job is to bring employers and people seeking protection together.
The ordinance on the sanctioning of Ukrainians is currently being revised by the Department of Justice. A consultation is planned for the beginning of next year.