Major challenges lie ahead in the area of social policy - we say which points the next federal government must urgently address:

Berlin, 18 May 2021: The federal election campaign is slowly gathering pace and almost all parties have presented their programmes. We employers have summarized our answers to the social policy challenges in a 8-Point Paper summarized.

The social market economy and social partnership were central pillars for our society during the Corona crisis. We have learned that we can overcome crises if we stand together. But we have also seen that there is an urgent need for reform in our country in order to keep these pillars sustainable. To that end, we should be bolder - act more, not just react. We should not be a progress-rejecting society in hedgehog mode, but the opposite: a society of optimists and shapers. Curious and modern. We see how the USA and also China are positioning themselves in competition: In these countries, no one fails to recognize the importance of technology, competitiveness and economic growth. That's where the action is! But it is also true that, in contrast to these countries, the social partnership in Germany has helped to overcome many a crisis without dividing society. Our aim must therefore be to combine strong economic growth with a lively social partnership. That is our USP compared to other countries. And this is what we should measure ourselves by and what we expect from politicians.

What is troubling us in these months is an increasingly false picture that is being painted of the economy. Contradictions are being raised and mistrust sown. We can only shake our heads at this. To put it in a nutshell:

Economy is all of us.

No company can run without its employees. Without clever minds in the development departments, there are no innovative products. Without trainees, companies have no skilled workers for tomorrow. But you also need someone to take the entrepreneurial risk. Otherwise the social market economy will not work. At the same time, employees and employers alike depend on their company being competitive. If it is not, it will not survive in the market. If the company is doing badly, the jobs will also come under pressure. This in turn has consequences for the coffers of the social security system and tax revenues. Everyone is in the same boat. And this boat should have no holes and a good engine. Politicians should bear this in mind when they come up with programmes that are full of new regulations and burdens for companies. This brings us to our social and economic policy proposals for the next legislature.