Germany’s labour minister has been accused of denying reality after insisting “nobody immigrates into our social welfare system” despite government data showing foreigners are heavily overrepresented among welfare claimants.
The controversy erupted during a government question session on Wednesday, May 6th, when right-wing AfD MP René Springer asked why the government was not cutting spending “where it is obvious: immigration into our social systems” as Germany struggles with rising welfare costs and mounting budget pressure.
Labour Minister Bärbel Bas dismissed the claim outright, arguing instead that immigration was helping to address labour shortages.
“We have a shortage of skilled workers in this country,” the minister from the Social Democrats (SPD) said, adding that many companies were reliant on foreign workers. She also took a swipe at Springer, suggesting he was unfamiliar with the needs of businesses across Germany.
However, critics from across the political spectrum accused the minister of ignoring her own department’s statistics.
According to figures from the Federal Employment Agency, nearly half of Germany’s 5.3 million Bürgergeld recipients are foreign nationals. Including German citizens with a migration background pushes the figure above 63%.
Syrians, Ukrainians, Afghans, and Turks make up the largest groups claiming the benefit, with roughly 430,000 Syrians who arrived since 2015 still dependent on welfare.
Additional figures show that roughly 460,000 migrants were receiving support under Germany’s asylum seeker benefits system at the end of 2024.
Foreign nationals also account for around a quarter of recipients of basic pension support in old age.
The remarks have intensified accusations that Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition—featuring the centre-right CDU/CSU alliance and the SPD—is failing to tackle welfare migration. Critics also pointed to wording in the coalition agreement itself, which states that “incentives to immigrate into the social systems must be significantly reduced.”
An article in the tabloid newspaper Bild compared Germany’s welfare provisions with those of countries such as Denmark, France, and Poland, arguing that Germany offers significantly higher payments and fewer obligations to work or participate in integration programmes.
Recognised refugees in Germany receive monthly Bürgergeld payments of €563, alongside housing costs, healthcare, and additional family benefits.
Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD, accused the SPD of “denying reality,” adding that it “is symptomatic of a government incapable of changing anything.”
Meanwhile Sahra Wagenknecht said Bas had “lost all connection with reality.” The leader of the left-wing nationalist BSW argued that the growing number of foreign nationals claiming welfare was undermining confidence in the welfare state and damaging incentives to work.
