Zwischen Erwerbsfähigkeit und Erwerbsminderung: Grenzzonen sozialstaatlicher Klassifikation in der Grundsicherung für Arbeitsuchende

Abstract

"In the German welfare state, the allocation of individuals in need to different systems of social protection is largely organised through legally defined categories. A key role is played by the category of ability to work, which marks the legal boundary between means-tested basic income support for jobseekers and social assistance for persons with reduced work capacity. However, this binary legal classification stands in structural tension with the typically continuous nature of health-related work capacity. In addition, health limitations may arise or worsen during periods of benefit receipt. Gradual deteriorations in health-related work capacity in particular may only be detected with delay, or only partially, by institutional monitoring and assessment procedures. As a result, a grey area may emerge between legally assumed work capacity and a potentially existing incapacity for work, in which individuals continue to be classified as capable of work despite substantial health limitations. Against this background, the article provides a tentative estimate of the size of this group and analyses its composition with regard to health status, socio-demographic characteristics, employment histories and interactions with jobcentres. It also examines subsequent employment prospects following the reported health-related work limitation. The analysis draws on data from the IAB household panel Labour Market and Social Security (PASS), linked with administrative process data from the Federal Employment Agency. The findings indicate that a group of benefit recipients classified as capable of work faces persistently and substantially reduced employment prospects. With a share of around eight per cent of all working-age benefit recipients, this group constitutes a socially and policy-relevant population." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © De Gruyter Brill) ((en))

Cite article

Lietzmann, T., Özerdogan, A., Ramos Lobato, P. & Wenzig, C. (2026): Zwischen Erwerbsfähigkeit und Erwerbsminderung: Grenzzonen sozialstaatlicher Klassifikation in der Grundsicherung für Arbeitsuchende. In: Zeitschrift für Sozialreform, p. 1-33. DOI:10.1515/zsr-2026-0026