FAZ: Bulgarian, Romanian Benefit Receivers in Germany Up 83% in 2014

Germany has registered a surge in receivers of the Hartz-IV unemployment benefits among immigrants coming from Bulgaria and Romania in 2014, according to media reports.

Between January and December 2014, there were 83 082 receivers from Bulgaria and Romania in the country, according to official statistics of the unemployment agencies quoted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

This is 83.6% up from the previous year, when the number was 45 260.

Free movement restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanians were lifted on January 1, 2014, and some Western politicians raised fears there would be an influx of people from both countries seeking better living standards.

Within the same period (in 2014), the number of employed Bulgarians and Romanians who are contributors to the insurance system has grown to 199 976, an increase of 77.2%.

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