2 adults, 7 children

4600 €: “A slap in the face for many Austrians”

A Syrian family with seven children receives 4600 euros in social welfare in Vienna.

(Bild: MaRu)

Upper Austria has the strictest requirements when it comes to paying out social assistance: Social Welfare Minister Hattmannsdorfer sees his model as a role model for the whole of Austria. Most recently, the state made 1005 cuts.

The outrage over this is still ongoing: A Syrian family with seven children receives 4600 euros per month in social welfare in the federal capital, while another family with eight children receives as much as 5000 euros. In Upper Austria, the family would receive 2450 euros, as reported by the "Krone" newspaper.

"This is a slap in the face for many Austrians"
If it were up to Social Welfare Councillor Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP), this would also be the case in Vienna and the rest of Austria. He sees his way as the most successful in comparison and therefore also proposes a harmonization and capping of social benefits following the example of Upper Austria: "I am calling for this reform in order to put an end to social benefit tourism. It must be clear that performance pays off. Cases like the one in Vienna are a slap in the face for many Austrians who diligently get up and go to work every day."

When it comes to integration, Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer is considered a hardliner: the future Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce is also fighting for a mandate in the National Council and wants a uniform nationwide regulation for the calculation of social benefits.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

The points in detail: social benefits must be uniformly high nationwide, and there must also be a German language requirement when receiving these benefits, which has been in force in Upper Austria since January 1, 2023. The program also provides for a cap on benefits and a five-year waiting period.

Benefits were cut 1005 times
What about sanctions? These were imposed exactly 1005 times in Upper Austria last year. In 618 cases, benefits were cut because recipients of social assistance ignored the obligation to learn German, in 143 cases benefits were received unlawfully. Benefits were cut 221 times due to the violation of integration obligations, and 23 times funds were used for the wrong purpose. "Just like the number of social welfare recipients, the absolute number of cuts made is also increasing," says Hattmannsdorfer's office."

Learn German, go to work, show respect
"The Provincial Councillor himself says: it's about having very clear expectations of people with a migration background: learn German, go to work and show respect. Because the clear goal must be for immigrants to be able to support themselves and not be a burden on our social system." Robert Loy