Saw immigrants waiting to be rescued from the boat. (document)
- Immigrants in Denmark must complete 37 hours of work per week to receive benefits.
- This is a plan to help immigrants integrate into society.
- The plan stated that its goal is to integrate 20,000 people by pushing them to find some form of work.
The Danish government said on Tuesday that it will require Danish immigrants to complete 37 hours of work a week to receive benefits.
Immigration and integration have become key issues for Danish voters, and Denmark has some of the toughest immigration policies in Europe.
The government has set a goal of zero asylum applications, saying the program is designed to help immigrants integrate into society.
“We want to introduce a new kind of work logic. People have an obligation to contribute and become useful people. If they can’t find a permanent job, they have to work for their allowance,” Prime Minister Met Frederickson told reporter.
“For many years, we have not asked many people and have caused them harm,” she added, adding that the plan needs to be approved by legislators.
McVillasen, spokesperson for the Left-wing Solidarity List, condemned Tuesday’s statement as misleading.
She told the broadcaster TV2:
I worry that this will eventually become social dumping supported by the state, sending people into crazy jobs.
Initially, this will be a requirement for people who have received benefits for three to four years but have not achieved a certain level of school education and Danish proficiency.
Frederiksen said that the weekly working hours are at least 37 hours.
According to the government, 6 out of 10 women from the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey did not participate in the Danish labor market.
The plan stated that its goal is to promote 20,000 people to find some form of work through local government offices so that they can integrate into society.
“This may be the job of picking up cigarette butts or plastic on the beach… (or) helping to solve various tasks within the company,” said Employment Minister Peter Hummelgaard.
“The most important thing for us is that people can get out of their homes,” he added.
The Frederickson government, which has been in power since 2019, has set a goal of zero asylum applications, which has fallen. Only 851 copies were received between January 1 and July 31 this year.
According to official statistics, 11% of Denmark’s population of 5.8 million are immigrants, of which 58% are citizens of countries that Copenhagen classifies as “non-Western”.
