Unemployed German Causes Scandal in Germany (4 photos + 1 video)

26-year-old Jannis Burkhardt lives on €858 in unemployment benefits in his grandmother's apartment. He mocks those who are outraged by what their taxes are going towards.





A 26-year-old German who runs a TikTok channel about the joys of unemployment has sparked outrage in Germany. Commentators are particularly outraged by the fact that he also teaches others how to remain a "freeloader," according to the Daily Mail.



A blogger dubbed Germany's most attractive unemployed man has sparked outrage by boasting about living on €858 a month in state benefits and posting videos showing others "how to stay unemployed."

26-year-old Jannis Burkhardt has amassed 80,000 TikTok followers thanks to videos in which he rates supermarkets, returns bottles for cash, and shares tips on how to stay unemployed.

"It's 3:22 PM, I just got up and am enjoying the weather on my balcony," says the former freelance video editor in one of his Instagram videos*.

"I'm so far removed from the matrix that I can decide for myself whether I'll just go shopping or relax in nature... I'm just telling it like it is. I don't see any particular downsides," says Yannis.

While his social media popularity isn't yet sufficient to generate income, Berkard has been receiving social security benefits (Bürgergeld) for nine months.

He receives 858 euros per month, which is enough to cover everyday expenses since his grandmother gave him her apartment in Hanover, so he doesn't have to pay rent.

"I have much more time than before, and not much less money," he told reporters interested in his carefree lifestyle.





However, Burkhard admitted that his new lifestyle isn't entirely ideal, recently joking that he needs 10,000 euros for a vacation.

In an interview, he responded that he doesn't mind being called a "freeloader living on welfare."

In response to one critic who wrote, "Come to Frankfurt train station at 10 p.m. tonight so I can punch you in the face. I pay your taxes and you're perfectly fit for work," Burkhard quipped, "That's very late. Remember, you have to wake up tomorrow with an alarm."

Asked whether he believes people like himself should be put under more pressure to work, Burkhard, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan "Unemployed Person of the Year," replied, "It has been suggested that forcing people to work they don't want to do negatively impacts public morale."

"If you, as a taxpayer, are angry but can't do anything about it, that's a waste of energy. But if a large number of people are forced to do work they don't want to do, that's not a waste of energy, it's a waste of their time, and that's bad for the climate in which people live," he said.



Burkhard's story sparked outrage among the German people, but it also made television headlines. The scandal arose amid warnings that Germany can no longer afford its current social security system.

Sweeping reforms that reduced long-term unemployment benefits were introduced by then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder over 20 years ago, between 2003 and 2005.

Since then, unemployment has risen, and key industries such as the automotive and mechanical engineering industries have begun to cut jobs sharply due to competition from China, rising costs, and declining demand for German products.