Next week, as we enter the budget negotiations at Copenhagen City Hall, we will once again have to prioritize funds for a wide range of important areas.

There will be many considerations to take into account, but one thing is certain: If we are to secure a strong and sustainable future for Copenhagen and Denmark, we must invest in the international academics who are already here but whom we are still failing to integrate into the labor market properly.

For the past four years, I have been the only member of the City Council consistently raising the issue of international citizens.

By giving interviews. Raising the issue in my Committee for Labour and Occupational Integration, in City Council meetings, and in budget negotiations, I have continuously fought to bring this topic to the forefront.

Last september, we successfully convinced the rest of the City Council to allocate funding for this cause.

But in a time when businesses are crying out for qualified labor—particularly in the green sectors—it is unacceptable that so many highly educated international citizens remain unemployed.

It is time we take this challenge seriously and create the right conditions for this group to contribute to society and, most importantly, to the green transition that everyone is talking about.

An Untapped Potential

In Copenhagen Municipality, international academics accounted for 19 percent of all unemployed academics in 2023.

Many of them have exactly the qualifications that companies are looking for—especially in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Yet, they struggle to gain a foothold in the job market.

Why? Because we as a society have not provided them with the right conditions.

• Many lack a strong professional network in Denmark and do not know the informal ways into jobs.

• Language barriers make it difficult to navigate Danish hiring processes.

• Our work culture, with flat hierarchies and high levels of self-management, can be difficult for newcomers to interpret.

• Many do not know how to job hunt in Denmark—especially when it comes to unsolicited applications and networking strategies.

The result is that Copenhagen is sitting on a vast untapped potential.

We have highly skilled, motivated people who want to contribute to our labor market, yet we fail to provide them with the tools to succeed.

This is both a missed opportunity and a political failure.

That is why Radikale Venstre is now taking the initiative for a concrete solution. We want to allocate funds to a guidance and upskilling program that helps unemployed international academics find jobs—particularly in the green sector.

This program will include targeted guidance on job searching in Denmark, linguistic and cultural onboarding to Danish workplaces, stronger connections between academics and businesses, and opportunities for internships and case-based work experience.

Green Power Denmark estimates that between 2023 and 2030, Denmark will need to hire 45,000 extra employees annually to realize the green transition.

We cannot ignore the enormous potential already present in Copenhagen.

That is why it is crucial that we invest in the people who want to contribute but are currently being held back by systemic barrie

That is why we enter these negotiations with a clear focus: Copenhagen must become a city where international academics have the opportunity to contribute—to the benefit of themselves, businesses, and society as a whole.

Emil Moselund is a member of Radikale Venstre at Copenhagen City Council