Is there a mass of public funds being mobilized?
In Dortmund, a young woman from Romania, aged in her mid-twenties, visited the job center in search of a change. Currently working as a part-time cleaner, she is looking for a job with a regular schedule and better pay.
The woman works as a cleaning lady in Germany, cleaning construction sites and receiving her payment in cash. She works on an as-needed basis, with a work schedule consisting of ten hours per week. Despite her lack of formal education beyond primary school, she is fluent in German and has no experience in the retail sector.
Interestingly, her employer picks her up at home and drops her off after work, and she does not have a driver's license. However, she is open to temporary work assignments and willing to work in the service sector.
Part-time cleaners, including those working on-call and receiving cash payments, are subject to labor laws in Germany. These laws require compliance with minimum wage rules, taxation, and social security contributions, regardless of payment method.
The legal minimum wage in Germany is €12 per hour (as of 2025), and employers cannot pay less. Many cleaners receive between €13–25 per hour depending on the region and tasks, even for part-time or occasional work.
Part-time cleaning jobs are often structured as mini-jobs if the monthly earnings do not exceed €520 (as of 2025). Mini-jobs allow limited working hours (roughly 10–12 per week) with reduced tax and social security obligations but must be registered officially with the Minijob-Zentrale.
Even for on-call or less frequent cleaning help, it is usual and recommended to have an agreed hourly wage and ideally a simple contract specifying the work scope and pay. Labor laws apply regardless of the occasional nature of the work.
Paying cleaners "under the table" in cash without declaring it is considered illegal (Schwarzarbeit) and exposes both employer and worker to risks such as fines, loss of social security benefits, lack of labor protections, and tax penalties. Legal employment ensures workers get health insurance, paid leave, and social security rights, even for part-time or mini-jobs.
The woman currently earns 11.70 euros per hour, which is above the minimum wage, but she is seeking assistance from the job center to find suitable employment with better pay. She has four children and is currently married to a man in Romania, who is now in prison.
Sources: [1] Bundesagentur für Arbeit (2022). Minijobs [2] Bundesagentur für Arbeit (2022). Schwarzarbeit [5] Bundesministerium der Finanzen (2022). Einkommensteuer-Richtlinien für Mini-Jobs
