Research shows that non-Western* immigrants and their descendants in Denmark now account for the largest rise in national employment figures at all levels – highly skilled as well as unskilled and self-employed. They represent 44% of the progress in employment over the last 10 years, even though they make up only 8-12% of the country's workforce.

These statistics serve to counteract the common accusation that this group does not contribute to the Danish welfare state. This accusation is built on the fact that a larger share of this group receives welfare benefits than ethnic Danes, which has been one of the main arguments for enforcing strict migration rules and welcoming as few refugees as possible to Denmark.
 
Integration expert and consultant Hans Lassen from Sisyfos published an analysis in the Danish online media for business issues Mandag Morgen, claiming that this exceptional success in employment progress has been overlooked, and that there is no reason to believe it will not continue.
 
Lassen explains the development by highlighting the strong social mobility that takes place within families of non-Western background in Denmark, something previously demonstrated in research by Arbejderbevægelsen Erhvervsråd. This research shows that while social mobility has dropped for ethnic Danish families, it has risen in immigrant families: young people from non-Western families tend to educate themselves, rising above the level of their parents: 63% of 25-year-olds in Denmark with uneducated parents finish an education. Research has consistently shown that education is the strongest parameter for success in the Danish labour market.
 
At first sight, it could seem as if a strict asylum policy leads to better employment – but in fact the cause is the Danish welfare system with free education and social support. Research demonstrates that reducing benefits and forcing people into the job market, which is what a strict asylum policy promotes, leads only to fewer, unstable job opportunities and negative long-term effects.

*) Denmark's statistics generally distinguish between residents with a foreign background from either ‘Western’ or ‘non-Western’ countries. In the Danish context, 'Western countries' are understood to be all EU countries plus Andorra, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, United Kingdom, the United States and the Vatican.