Politics and Analysis
Tripartite Agreement to get more Immigrants and Refugees integrated into the Labour Market
11. October 2023
Press Release
DA welcomes the new tripartite agreement signed by the Danish Government, employers and trade unions on the basic integration training programme, which aims to help foreign nationals find work in the country.
Everyone benefits when people have more opportunities to stand on their own two feet and contribute to society.
Fortunately, the integration of immigrants and refugees in the labour market has improved since the tripartite agreement of 2016 on the basic integration training programme (IGU) and its subsequent implementation. This programme has been a proven success, but the number eligible to take part remains fairly small. As a result, the social partners and the Danish Government have now reached an agreement to continue and extend the scheme.
Jacob Holbraad, Director General of DA, welcomes the new agreement because the scheme still has huge potential when it comes to getting more refugees and immigrants into work.
- We need more refugees and immigrants in Danish workplaces. The IGU is an excellent programme because it combines real, on-the-job experience with targeted upskilling and language acquisition. It uses the best available integration tools, and we fully support its extension.
The new tripartite agreement extends eligibility for the scheme to include refugees and all those aged 18–50 who arrived in Denmark via family reunification programmes and have resided in the country for up to 20 years. The Director General particularly welcomes these eligibility reforms.
- We are delighted that we’ve been able to agree on an extension of the target group. That was a key priority for DA. By extending the scheme, we can help a broader group of refugees and immigrants who are still struggling to gain a foothold in the labour market, he says.
The Director General hopes that the extension will ensure that more people benefit from the programme and eventually take the next step in their career, education or training.