This German's got talent – for sitting around doing nothing

After avoiding work for 37 years – at a cost to the taxpayer of about 1 million in benefits – Arno Dubel was finally forced into a retraining centre this week when his friendly neighbourhood doctor finally refused his request for yet another sick note.

Depressed Mr Dubel, who has spent his subsidised days drinking beer while watching TV soap operas in his Hamburg flat, was put to work ironing, cleaning and sewing in a bid to land him a job as a cleaner.

Now, two record companies have offered him a contract after his life of breathtaking idleness hit headlines across Germany.

Both have stepped forward with songs especially written for him. One is called The Jobless Rap and is accompanied by hard beats and the sound of opening beer cans – "my favourite!" says Mr Dubel, who admits that he and work have "never really got along". The chorus goes; "Work is s***!"

Producer Tobias Gill has promised Mr Dubel 30p for every recording sold.

But the lapsed layabout is mulling the offer from another producer, who is hoping to make him a celebrity on Majorca, where many Germans holiday, with the song The Dole and Cans of Beer.

Producer Marco Delgardo said: "Arno can earn a lot of money with us without doing much work. Many people have sympathy for him, so he would have a lot of success."

Mr Dubel, 54, said: "I will definitely go with one of them. I don't fancy my luck as a cleaner."

However, the case has shocked many in Germany, where welfare payments remain high for the unemployed and are relatively easy to obtain.