Fewer people now receive assistance

The number of people in Swiss cities now receiving social assistance benefits has fallen by seven percent despite the 2021 corona pandemic. This is compared to the average of the past three years. The total number of cases remained stable, according to a report published Tuesday by the city’s social policy initiative.

According to the social policy city initiative, about a quarter of all social assistance recipients in Switzerland live in the 14 cities surveyed. Your evaluation in collaboration with the University of Berne is based on the social assistance statistics of the Federal Statistical Office.

Basel with strong decline

The social assistance percentage, ie the ratio between the number of people entitled to social assistance and the total population, remained stable or decreased in 11 of the 14 cities surveyed. Due to the support of the federal government and the rapid recovery of the labor market, it did not grow.

In Basel in particular, the number of social assistance claimants has decreased compared to 2020 – by about six percent. Lausanne US, Lucerne, Schaffhausen and Schlieren ZH, on the other hand, had recorded “medium to strong gains”. Lausanne meandered at the top with an increase of over seven percent. However, due to the new survey system, the number should be interpreted with caution.

education important

The urban social policy initiative aims to facilitate access to the labor market for people on social assistance benefits. One way to do this is through education. “People without education should be able to obtain a recognized qualification,” Nicolas Galladé, chair of the Social Policy Cities Initiative and councilor for Winterthur ZH, said in the statement. According to the report, the cities surveyed also pointed to an investment need.

For example, according to the announcement, language courses are often made possible. Vocational training for youth and young adults is also a priority. But more than half of the adults on social assistance benefits had no formal vocational training.

The urban social policy initiative aims to remove barriers to vocational training. For example, there are barriers in the area of ​​immigration law. If you receive social assistance benefits for a longer period of time as a result of training, there is a risk that you will lose your right of residence.

inflation as a problem

It is also unclear whether the social assistance figures will remain stable this year. Because inflation has accelerated and energy prices have also risen sharply. In view of the rising cost of living, Caritas is sounding the alarm. The federal government and the cantons must quickly provide direct aid to people affected by poverty. (SDA/rus)