New figures from the confederation of Danish industry, Dansk Industri (DI), reveal that the number of refugees being employed in Denmark rose sharply in 2016.

The number of employed refugees in Denmark increased from about 4,100 to 7,200 between March and November last year – a rise of 75 percent.

“The figures show that it’s going much better when it comes to integrating refugees into the workforce,” said Steen Nielsen, the deputy head of DI.

“It’s the result of the new approach to integration agreed upon last year with the three-party agreement.”

When looking solely at refugee and family reunification cases approved for residence in 2014 and 2015, their employment rate was between 0.7 and 1.6 percent in 2015. But that rate rose steadily to 9.5 percent in October 2016.

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In via internship 
The three-party agreement was approved last March in a bid to help more refugees into jobs – via such initiatives such as internships at companies. In the last two years, the share of refugees who have been hired following an internship has jumped from 12 to 22 percent.

“Company internships and løntilskud [wage subsidies] offer good opportunities for refugees to get into contact with the companies,” said Nielsen.

“When those initiatives lead to proper jobs, it’s a fantastic development. The goal of the three-party agreement is precisely that: to get more refugees to support themselves and their families.”