Einbürgerungstest topic guide
Economy and Work (Wirtschaft und Arbeit)
What the Einbürgerungstest tests on the German economy and labour market: the social insurance system, who pays for it, and workers' rights — with a real exam question.
Work, money and the social state come back in many questions of the catalogue: what the social market economy is, what employees are entitled to, and which insurance pays in which case.
The guide covers the social market economy, your rights at work, the five social insurances and the taxes.
Work, the economy and social security
The social market economy, your rights at work, the five social insurances, taxes and the euro.
What each guide covers
- The social market economyGermany has a social market economy (Soziale Marktwirtschaft): a free market with competition, and a state that protects people who cannot help themselves.
- Your rights at workEmployees are protected by the law and by collective agreements.
- The five social insurancesThe social state is built on five compulsory insurances.
- Taxes and moneyTaxes finance the state: schools, roads, the police and the social benefits.
Remember for the exam
- Social market economy: free market plus the social state; the euro since 2002; the ECB is in Frankfurt.
- At work: contract, minimum wage, at least four weeks of paid holiday, protection against dismissal, unions and works council.
- Five social insurances: health, care, pension, unemployment, accident.
- VAT 19% (7% for food and books); payslip with gross and net; the tax office is the Finanzamt.
A real Einbürgerungstest question on this topic
Q: "Wer bezahlt in Deutschland die Sozialversicherungen?" (Who pays for social insurance in Germany?) — A: "Arbeitgeberinnen/Arbeitgeber und Arbeitnehmerinnen/Arbeitnehmer" (employers and employees) — jointly, not either side alone.
Questions people ask
Is this the most "technical" topic on the exam?
It can feel that way because of terms like Sozialversicherung, but the questions test a small, fixed set of facts (the five branches, who funds them) rather than real economic reasoning — it rewards memorising the structure once, clearly.
Do I need to know exact contribution percentages?
No — the exam asks who pays (both sides) and what the five branches are, not the current percentage rates, which change periodically and are not what is being tested.
Where can I practise every official question on this topic?
Asagno's Einbürgerungstest learning mode loads the full official nationwide question bank with the answer shown, so you can work through every economy-and-work question directly.
What are the five social insurances?
Health insurance, long-term care insurance, pension insurance, unemployment insurance and accident insurance. Employees and employers pay the contributions together, except for accident insurance, which the employer pays.
What is a works council?
The Betriebsrat is the body elected by the employees of a company to represent their interests towards the employer. It is different from a union (Gewerkschaft), which is an organisation of workers outside the company.
More guides
Ready to practise?
Study the questions by theme, then take the timed practice exam.