The pension commission appointed by the federal government presented 33 proposals for a comprehensive pension reform on Tuesday. Friedrich Merz (CDU) announced he wanted to implement as many as possible. A key point: minijobs should in future only be allowed for school pupils; all other minijobbers would have to pay into social insurance.
Rukwied said that minijobbers in agriculture are usually people who already have a job subject to social insurance and help farms during harvest peaks – for example, because they enjoy driving a combine harvester. According to the Minijob Central Office, more than 6.5 million people in Germany are currently in marginal employment. Minijobs are limited to 603 euros per month or 7,236 euros per year; employees pay no social security contributions, while employers pay a flat rate of 30 percent.
The Studentenwerk also rejects the proposal. Matthias Anbuhl warned of financing problems and students dropping out: two-thirds of all students have a part-time job, and minijobs limit the time burden to ten hours per week. He called for an exemption for students as well – a ‘minimally invasive intervention’ that would not jeopardize the structure of the pension compromise.
Source: www.zeit.de
