Background information

Due to the war in Ukraine, Denmark received thousands of Ukrainian refugees. The official number of Ukrainian refugees in Denmark from 1 July 2022 is 38,632. Therefore, the parliament agreed to a special Ukrainian Act, which makes it possible for Ukrainian refugees to have easy and quick access to the labour market, without having a residence permit. The purpose of the act is to secure access to the Danish society, and for the Ukrainian refugees to be able to find a job as soon as possible.

Content of measure

Due to the refugee situation in Ukraine, caused by the armed conflict and invasion from Russia, Denmark has decided to implement initiatives to help Ukrainians refugees in Denmark. One of the initiatives the Danish government has applied is the special Ukrainian Act.

The special act eases the process for Ukrainian refugees, compared to the normal asylum procedure, enabling them to start working shortly after arrival in Denmark. According to the new procedure, Ukrainian refugees do not have to wait to obtain the residence permit, but can apply for the special act upon arrival in Denmark, and start working without a waiting period.

Use of measure

According to the Ministry of Employment, as of July 2022, 4,258 Ukrainians have entered the Danish labor market. This equates to 36% of the Ukrainians who are in principle available for the labour market. The measure continued to be successful with a total of 8,918 Ukrainian refugees, 66% of those who are available for the labour market, being employed as per April 2023.

The Ukrainian act is valid until 2024, so the information and results of the initiative will continue to be updated.

Contents

• Solidarity

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Migrants or refugees in employment	Does not apply to businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Social partners jointly Public employment service	National funds Social partners jointly

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies	Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

The Ukrainian Act is a measure by the Danish government. The Danish government and the social partners have reached a tripartite agreement with KL (the association and interest organisation of the 98 Danish municipalities), and the Danish Regions, in a partnership to help Ukrainians in jobs. The partnership focuses on helping creating a Job Bank, continuous learning and upgrading of qualifications, and good working conditions for Ukrainians entering the Danish labour market.

The Danish employers' association, the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne) and the Danish Trade Union Confederation (FH), are also involved in the tripartite agreement, supporting the act.

Views and reactions

The deputy chairman for KL (the association and interest organisation of the 98 Danish municipalities) has pronounced the importance of a partnership to ensure a good integration into the labour market for Ukrainian refugees.

The board members of Danish Regions have pronounced the necessity to provide good working conditions for the Ukrainian refugees, and Danish Regions hope they will thrive in meaningful tasks within the public health care sector.

Sources

• 16 March 2021: Lov om midlertidig opholdstilladelse til personer, der er fordrevet fra Ukraine (www.retsinformation.dk)
• 06 September 2022: Ukrainere får hurtigere adgang til arbejdsmarkedet (www.uim.dk)
• 06 September 2022: Nyt partnerskab skal hjælpe fordrevne ukrainere i job (bm.dk)
• 11 September 2022: En stadig større del af de fordrevne ukrainere i arbejde (bm.dk)
• 11 September 2022: Ukrainere i Danmark (www.dst.dk)
• 11 September 2022: Nyt partnerskab skal hjælpe fordrevne ukrainere i job (www.kl.dk)
• 07 June 2023: Monitorering af fordrevne personer fra Ukraine (jobindsats.dk)