One-fifth of Ukrainian refugees are employed in Denmark: Experts criticize, Labor Minister defends

There is a tough battle to get more Ukrainian refugees into the Danish labor market, which currently has 2,724 of them employed in Denmark, according to the latest figures from the Danish Employment Agency.

The figures for June show an increase since May, when there were 1,645 Ukrainian refugees in jobs.

Bent Greif, a labor market researcher at Roskilde University, commented, “I think the ministry was a bit optimistic about the current situation.”
But just over 2,700 employees still represent a fifth of the 15,149 Ukrainians aged 16 to 66 who have been granted residency permits in Denmark, and that's not good enough. It's a very modest share compared to what was expected, and therefore I also believe that one has to make an extraordinary effort, as employment centers must ensure that Ukrainians are aware of job opportunities and that they have better contact with potential employers.

According to the researcher, the Ministry of Labor generally underestimated the difficulty of transitioning from a state of war to the labor market in another country, referring to the special law also known as the “Ukrainian Law,” which was approved by a large majority in the Danish Parliament last March, and which guarantees that Ukrainian refugees can obtain a residence permit and access to the labor market, as well as social care and education in Denmark outside of the general asylum rules.

According to DR, Labor Minister Peter Hummelgaard Thomsen disagrees that the 2,724 Ukrainian refugees in jobs are not good enough. He believes that integrating Ukrainians into the workforce is moving in the right direction, stating: “We think it’s positive that there’s an increase compared to last month. Compared to other refugee groups, it’s good that Ukrainians are being employed. We didn’t have any expectations and we didn’t dare set targets, but we tried to do everything we could to attract Ukrainians to jobs… Thousands of Ukrainians have been involved with companies.”.

When the source asked the Minister of Labor about the fact that there are currently 15,149 Ukrainians aged between 16 and 66 who have obtained residence permits in Denmark, and whether the Minister of Labor believes it is good enough that almost a fifth of them have come to work, the Minister replied: “We must acknowledge that there are some challenges. Not everyone has the appropriate skills, and many of them have not even been to primary school. But we are trying to do everything we can to break down the existing barriers.”.

Language barriers make it difficult.
Jacob Nielsen Arendt, a research professor at the Rockwool Foundation’s Research Unit focusing on the labor market and migration, commented on the number of employed Ukrainian refugees, saying: “On the one hand, the number is not very large and not at all in light of what was expected. It was hoped that Ukrainians would be able to slip quickly into the labor market and cover some of the significant labor shortage that existed during the boom period we were in, and in light of that, 2,700 does not make much of an impact. If you look at it in relation to the fact that it is a group of refugees and with their background in mind, the level is actually quite nice.”.

Language poses a barrier, at least in the short term. Apart from the fact that Ukrainian refugees cannot speak Danish, many of them do not speak English either, making it difficult for them to communicate with employers.

In addition, the war experiences occupy part of the thinking of many Ukrainians who also have families in Ukraine in the current war conditions, and this may affect motivation, according to the expert. Also, many of them lack driving licenses and languages.