this purchasing power German citizenship dropped again in the second quarter of this year. This was confirmed this week by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), which determined the decline in real wages as follows. 4.4% this is between April and June of 2022. And that’s an increase in wages orn 2.9% compared to the same period last year. But inflation – currently hovering at around 8% – is crumbling extraordinary payments, increase in the minimum wage and public aid For the country’s most vulnerable sectors. This leads to an increase in poverty in one of the already most unequal countries in the OECD, as well as the risk of falling into poverty.
In addition, according to data from Destatis, food consumer goods The ones whose prices increased the most last July: more than one 14%. It is getting more and more expensive to fill. shopping cart and even more to feed in a healthy way. purchase fresh products products such as fruit or vegetables, as well as meat, are especially complex for the household of the elderly. low income, for the unemployed, single mothers, extended families and retirees, the latter is an already existing sector. impoverishment Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequent rise in energy prices that fueled inflation.
Almost 14 million people – 16.6% of the population – poor According to the annual report presented by the NGO Paritätischer Gesamtverband in Germany, which specializes in research on poverty and social inequality. Never has such a high poverty rate been recorded in the country since the report was published. The current rise in prices is adding to the economic consequences of the pandemic.
The chronology of poverty This is not a new phenomenon In Germany: There has been a steady increase since 2006. More than two million people worldwide fell into the social group considered poor. last 15 years, according to the latest report of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband. Current inflation, highest last three yearsnow exacerbates this trend.
call at the same time European economic engine There are chain employment records that testify to the paradox of the German model: despite job creation, poverty continues to groweither because some wage earners are underpaid – it has come to be called “working poverty” – or because some of the long-term unemployed are already stopped computing Unemployed according to official statistics.
“I didn’t have a refrigerator for a year and a half because I didn’t have the money to replace the damaged one.” “Right now I spend a lot more money on food than I usually plan on and I can barely eat anyway. fruit and vegetable”. “I have been retired since May 2016 and since then I have been poor, if not very poor. My pension doesn’t cover everything.”
These are just some of the testimonies collected by citizens interviewed for the latest Paritätischer Gesamtverband poverty report. Quotes respond only to the first letter of the name and surname. Reason? Many people affected by poverty Germany they are ashamed your situation.
normalized scenes
For example, a scene has normalized on the streets of Berlin and other major German cities: the elderly gather plastic and glass bottles can be returned to get some additional euro to supplement their pensions. In some cases, they look for bottles in the early hours of the night, or even in the middle of the night, to avoid being seen.
When the current situation is added to the possibility of higher inflation with the onset of the cold and the consequent increase in gas consumption, it is clear that some of the media and opposition are “warm autumn” due to possible social protests.
A tripartite coalition government consisting of the social democrats of the SPD, the Greens and the liberals of the FDP has already been formed. three packs of tax deductions and direct assistance. Among the highlighted measures, indirect tax reliefReducing the financial pressure of income tax, paying between 270 and 500 euros in a single payment energy aid for single-person households and families.
Critics of these measures find these measures insufficient. rising inflation and especially given the benefits middle and high incomeand not the most vulnerable low-income households, where tax relief packages won’t help much to cover their monthly expenses. Even the differences are reflected in the project. coalition governmentwhose members have been locked in criticism for weeks and whose differences have already been made public.