Yannis Berkard, a 26-year-old German influencer dubbed the “hottest” unemployed man, has gone viral after claiming in interviews that he lives off the monthly state handout called Bürgergeld and has no intention of getting a job.
Berkard has 80,000 followers on TikTok, and his content spans ranking local supermarkets, running errands like returning bottles for cash, and sharing tips on how to remain idle.
Highlights
- Yannis Berkard has gained 80,000 TikTok followers by openly sharing his life living off Germany’s Bürgergeld.
- His unapologetic unemployed lifestyle sparked outrage online, with critics calling him lazy and accusing him of exploiting the welfare system.
- Germany plans to replace his benefits with stricter basic income support in July, cutting payments for those who miss job center appointments.
Both his media confessions and social media videos have sparked fury among netizens, with some calling out how he survives without having achievements to his name, and others criticizing the German policy that supports his decision.
“Work allows you to pat yourself on the back every day and say ‘well done,’” one remarked, while another added, “The state needs to get a grip.”
German influencer takes followers inside his unapologetic, unemployed lifestyle
Image credits: yanniswirdfame
“It’s 3:22 [pm]. I’ve just got up and am enjoying the weather here on my balcony,” Berkard, a former freelance video editor, said in one of his Instagram videos.
“I’m so far away from the matrix that I can decide if I just go shopping or just chill outdoors. I am just saying this is how it is; I don’t see many disadvantages,” he added.
Berkard has been receiving €858 ($1010) from the German government for nine months now, according to a report by Sat.1 TV.
That helps him cover his day-to-day expenses, which do not include rent, as his grandmother gave him a flat in Hanover.
“I’ve got a lot more time than before and not significantly less money,” Berkard said in an interview with a different broadcaster, ZDF.
His attitude has sparked online backlash
“People like this ruin the entire system,” one expressed, while another added, “I can’t understand people who don’t have anything to do when they get up.”
“Contributing nothing, taking everything,” a third said.
“Another glimpse into the wild world of influencers and livestreamers gone terribly wrong,” noted a fourth.
Image credits: yanniswirdfame
“Put him to work in factories on minimum living wages. I bet he would soon get the message,” advised another.
A critic of the government scheme that he is benefitting from said, “Too many get far too much, but some, pensioners for example, don’t get enough.”
“The Germans need to remove his benefits,” a second echoed.
Yannis Berkard remained unaffected by the outrage and believes forcing people to work is damaging
When asked by Sat.1 if he minded being called names for benefitting from the government scheme, he replied, “No, not really.”
Responding to a critic who called him to Frankfurt station at 10 p.m. so they could punch him in the face because they pay taxes for the scheme, Berkard said, “That’s very late. Remember, your alarm goes off early tomorrow.”
Image credits: yanniswirdfame
About the ill effects of compelling people to work when they don’t want to, Berkard opined, “If you as a taxpayer, get angry but can’t do anything about it, it is wasted energy; but if a big mass of people have to work they don’t feel like doing, then it’s not wasted energy but a wasted lifetime.”
Some social media users agreed with him.
“Everyone should do what they want. I am almost 65 years old and going to work every day. Sad, but he has a life,” said one.
Image credits: yanniswirdfame
“No unemployed person in the world can exploit society like billionaires and the super-rich, so keep chilling with your life,” added a second.
A change, however, has been agreed upon in Germany that could make Berkard’s life less comfortable.
His current benefit will be scrapped in July, according to The Times, and replaced with basic income support called Grundsicherung.
Those who miss appointments at job centers will face big cuts and risk losing their benefits entirely.
The reform comes as 64 percent of Germans voiced in a survey conducted by polling institute Forsa for the magazine Stern, that the welfare scheme, in its current form, was not financially sustainable.
Germany’s public welfare spending was 27.9 per cent of its total GDP in 2024.
"Honestly, just let it sink in. Minimum wage is not worth it," a netizen voiced
