In view of the current debate about abolishing or restricting mini-jobs – minor jobs with a maximum monthly income of currently 556 euros – the German Trade Association (HDE) has taken a position. He explains the importance for the retail sector, which employs more than 3.1 million people in Germany; around 800,000 of them in so-called mini-jobs.
“Experience has shown that employees in practice very consciously request mini-jobs for various reasons, as this form of employment is particularly compatible with the individual living conditions of many people,” explains Steven Haarke, HDE Managing Director for Labor, Education, Social and Collective Bargaining Policy, in a statement.
Due to their personal living circumstances, some people “simply have no opportunity to work a higher volume of working hours”. Others are particularly attracted by the optimized net wage in the mini-job (“gross for net”) because, for example, a high main or family income is already available.
Mini-jobs offer flexibility and optimized net wages
“Because of their flexibility, mini-jobs are very popular with employees and employers, especially in difficult economic times,” adds Haarke. The debate that has been initiated ignores the importance of marginal employment for the retail sector. “The discussion is apparently intended to distract from problems that remain unresolved to this day, such as the ever-increasing non-wage labor costs,” said Haarke.
The HDE therefore “sharply” criticizes the CDU employee wing’s proposal to introduce compulsory social insurance for mini-jobs. According to Haarke, this reform would noticeably reduce the net earnings of employees and reduce the attractiveness of small jobs, while the resulting pension entitlements would remain minimal due to the short working hours. The association also warns of considerable additional bureaucratic effort for companies and social security providers, without any real added value being created for those involved.
For retailers, mini-jobs are indispensable as a flexible instrument to cover peak times and ensure comprehensive service throughout opening hours. The HDE emphasizes that strict record-keeping requirements already exist to prevent misuse. A redesign of the system would therefore not only restrict the economic flexibility of companies, but would also endanger the tried and tested structure of the sector.
