“With this agreement we are aiming to fundamentally change Denmark’s integration effort and wipe the slate clean after decades of failure. As of now refugee integration will be based on refugees’ active contribution in Danish companies as opposed to they simply adhering to passive programs,” explained Jørn Neergaard Larsen, Minister for Labor. Thus it is ‘mission accomplished’ for the tripartite negotiations that got underway between government and the social partners on 11 February 2016 (c.f. article No. 9489). This agreement will be transposed into law before July 2016 and represents a paradigm shift for Denmark’s integration programs because current programs are essentially based on language acquisition, which only gives marginal access to work and delivering disappointing results (in 2014 only 28% of refugees aged between 25 and 64 had found employment by the end of their program).
Denmark: tripartite agreement over integrating refugees through work
One in two refugees in work. That’s the government’s goal in an agreement concluded on 17 March between the social partners over integrating refugees via employment. Key to the agreement is the provision on training and work put forward by the country’s main employers and trade union confederation bodies. Other new elements include an assessment of refugees’ competences once they are official asylum seekers, bolstering employment centers’ resources to facilitate refugees meetings with companies, and encouraging companies to hire refugees via a specific bonus system.
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