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Denmark trailing neighbours on graduate employment: analysis

Denmark’s figures for employment of young people with higher education do not compare favourably with its Scandinavian neighbours, an analysis has found.

Published: 11 September 2018 17:41 CEST

Denmark trailing neighbours on graduate employment: analysis

File photo: Thomas Lekfeldt/Scanpix 2016

The publication Education at a Glance ranked 33 OECD countries on the area and placed Denmark 23rd for the percentage of 25-34 year-olds who had completed higher education and were employed in 2017.

With 83 percent of that demographic in work last year, Denmark slipped three places on the list, the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science confirmed in a press statement.

Norway and Sweden, with 88 and 87 percent of corresponding young people in employment in 2017, both fared better than Denmark and were placed in seventh and 13th place respectively.

The average figure for all 33 OECD countries included in the analysis is 84 percent.

Minister for education Tommy Ahlers said via a press statement that Denmark must improve its record on bringing qualified young people into the labour market.

“We know it is easier to find a good job if you establish a connection to the labour market while still a student,” Ahlers said.

“That’s why I’m concerned with ensuring study programmes are focused on educating people to work and creating a more flexible education system that makes it easier to take steps on to the labour market while studying, and then to return to studying later,” he added.

Mette Fjord Sørensen, head of research and higher education with the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI), said that there were obstacles to a quick transition from studying to working in Denmark.

“There is a bit of a long run-up from when students obtain their Master’s degrees to when they reach the labour market. It is a little difficult to say why, but is perhaps related to the lack of a sufficient network,” Sørensen said to Ritzau.

A programme allowing students to work while studying part-time for their Master’s degrees could go some way to easing the path into chosen professions, she said.

Many industries in Denmark are short of well-qualified hands, the DI head of department also stressed.

“We are desperate for IT specialists and engineers. But it nevertheless takes a while for them to reach the labour market,” she said.

READ ALSO: 3,400 more in work in latest Danish employment figures

How much Danish do you need to learn to get a job in Denmark?

There are many international companies in Denmark where the workplace language is English – opening up opportunities to many nationalities who want to live and work in Denmark. However for some professions, a certain level of Danish is a requirement and for others, working in Danish opens up more doors.

“The level we say you need to get a job is to have passed the Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3), which is the official exam by the Ministry of Education. It is equivalent to the B2 European Framework level,” Maria-Sophie Schmidt, language consultant at Studieskolen’s private Danish department told The Local.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international standard for describing language ability. It uses a six-point scale: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, where C2 is for those who are advanced and fluent in the language. It means employers and educational institutions can easily assess language abilities.

“When you pass Prøve i Dansk 3 and are B2 level, you’re not completely fluent but you can function in Danish and read newspaper articles in Danish. Usually I say B2 level is like a driver’s license we give you on your Danish. So you can drive a car but if you want to be a really good driver, you have to go practice in traffic. So after PD3 and with practice and with help perhaps, you should be able to write an application in Danish and go through an interview,” Schmidt said.

“PD3 will always help you get a job because companies appreciate you have the certificate. There’s a worry for some companies that you aren’t fluent.

“It is also helpful because Danes like to socialise in our workplaces such as at julfrokost (Christmas lunch) or fredagsbar (Friday afternoon drinks) and some are uncomfortable having to change their language to English all the time, maybe because we don’t feel we speak it well enough. So if you come as a foreigner and have a certificate of Prøve i Dansk 3, I think it’s a big advantage,” Schmidt added.

Foreign dentists and doctors need to have passed Prøve i dansk 3, as well as other professional tests before being able to start an evaluation period of working.

However there are some sectors where passing the Danish language exam isn’t a requirement. Due to current pressure on hospital waiting times in Denmark, nurses outside of the EU are no longer asked to pass Prøve i dansk 3. Instead, they can demonstrate their Danish language ability, in line with the requirements used for nurses from EU and EEA countries. This includes a six-month probation period where Danish communication skills are assessed.

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The construction industry and engineering, as well as hospitality are other sectors where Danish language skills won’t necessarily need to be B2 level or need certification. But whether or not you require the Prøve i Dansk 3 certificate, practicing Danish is the key to gaining confidence in the Danish workplace.

“Sign up for a language course or sign up to a sports club and surround yourself with Danish language. Insist on speaking Danish and if you know anyone speaking native Danish, ask to have a coffee and practice your Danish. If you have kids and meet other parents, speak Danish, or volunteer at somewhere like a nursing home,” Schmidt suggested.

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Language schools offer a Module 6 course, called Studieprøve to get to C1 level. Here you learn to read, write and speak more academic Danish. It is a requirement for those wanting to study in Danish but you don’t need it for a job.

“At Studieskolen we offer Classes after PD3 – a conversation class at B2 and C1 level where you don’t focus on grammar and writing but on speaking relevant topics in society such as what’s going on now, newspaper articles, TV shows and practice speaking to colleagues in small talk and more complicated conversations. PD3 is a driver’s license but you often can’t join a conversation spontaneously or you may lack confidence and vocabulary, so those classes help that.”

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